LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

PRESENTED BY 



UNITED STATES 01 AMEEIOA. 



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"Lcrjpy MovvcT) s/ir)lr)0riy, 



A MEMORIAL, 



PUBLISHED BY 

OEDEE OF THE GENEEAL ASSEMBLY 

OF THE 

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND. 



1885. 



X 



FREEMAN & CO., PRINTERS TO THE STATE. 



RESOLUTION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. 



Resoliitiox for printing the remarks, etc., in relation to 
the death of Senator, the late Hon. Henry B. An- 
thony. 

(Passed January 16, 1885.) 

Resolved, That twent3'-flve hundred copies of the 
proceedings and remarks made in both houses on the 
death of the Honorable Henry B, Anthony, late Sen- 
ator in the United States Senate from Rhode Island, the 
funeral oration of the Rev. Augustus Woodbur}-, and 
such other pertinent matter as the Secretaiy of State 
ma}' deem advisable, be printed in pamphlet form for 
the use of the General Assemblj', under the direction of 
the Secretary of State, 

A true copy. Witness : 

Joshua M. Addeman, 

Secretary of State. 



HENRY B. ANTHONY, 

The Senior Senator in Congress from Rhode 
Island, died at his residence in the City of 
Providence, at fifteen minutes before two 
o'clock, on Tuesday afternoon, the second 
day of September, 1884, at the age of sixty- 
nine years, five months and one day. 

For many months he had struggled against 
the insidious disease which was liable at any 
moment to terminate his life. On several oc- 
casions his condition had been so critical as 
to excite general alarm; but each time he 
had rallied from his prostration, and was 
able to leave his home, to attend to public 
business or his private concerns, and to min- 
gle with his fellow citizens. It was only the 
day before his death that he sat in his accus- 
tomed place in the Journal office, surrounded 



b HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

by many of liis cherished friends, to whom 
his animated conyersation was as entertain- 
ing as usual and gave no premonition of his 
approaching fate. 

On the morning of tlie second of Septem- 
ber lie arose in his customary state of health, 
breakfasted at about eleven o'clock, and was 
shortly after seized with a un^emic convul- 
sion. His physician was summoned, and un- 
der the administration of the usual remedies 
the Senator recovered for the time, but was 
again seized with another attack which speed- 
ily proved tatal. The immediate cause of 
his death was paralysis of the heart caused 
by unemic poisoning, the result of Bright's 
Disease from which he had suffered so long. 

Immediately on receipt of this intelligence, 
His Excellency the Governor made the fol- 
lowing official announcement: 



STATE OF RHODE ISLAND. 



Executive Department, 

Providence, Sept. 2, 1884. 
It is my painful duty to announce oflicially to the peo- 
ple of the State that the Honorable Henry B. Anthony, 
the senior Senator from this State in the Congress of the 
United States, died at his residence, in Providence, tliis 
day, at 1.45 o'clock, p. m. His long career has been 
distinguished by faithful service to his native State, and 
his fellow citizens will gratefully preserve the memory of 
his devotion to their interests. The funeral services will 
take place at the First Congregational Church, Provi- 
dence, on Saturday, September 6th, at 12 o'clock, m. I 
request the members of the General Assembly and the 
State officers to meet at the State House on Saturday 
next, at 11 a. m., for the purpose of attending the 
funeral. I also request that, between the hours of 12 
o'clock, noon, and 2 o'clock, p. m., on that day, all pub- 
lic offices be closed, and that, as a tribute of respect to 
the late Senator, all business during those hours be, so 
far as practicable, suspended. 

Augustus U. Bourn. 



The Mayor of the City of Providence issued 
the following notice and request : 



CITY OF PROVIDENCE, 



Executive Department, 

City Hall, Sept. 3, 1884. 

His Excelleiic}^ the Governor has aunouuced to the 
people of Rhode Island the sad intelligence of the de- 
cease of Henry Bowen Anthony, the senior Senator of 
the United States, which event took place at his resi- 
dence in this city on Tuesday, the 2d instant. 

Mr. Anthony had received the highest honors which 
his native State could confer, filling the positions of 
Governor and Senator with distinguished ability. By- 
his public services, extending for more than a genera- 
tion, he had won the esteem of those associated with 
him ill the government, and commanded the respect of 
all classes of citizens. 

The funeral of the deceased Senator has been ap- 
pointed for Saturday, the 6th instant, at 12 o'clock, 
noon, and in consideration of his eminent public worth, 
the municipal business will cease at that hour, and the 
City Hall will be closed for the day ; the public flags will 



10 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

he displayed at half-mast from sunrise to sunset, and the 
members of both branches of the City Council and the 
heads of departments of the city government will attend 
his funeral in a body. 

Uniting with his Excellency the Governor, I respect- 
fully request the citizens of this city to close their places 
of business between the hours of 12 o'clock, noon, and 
2 o'clock in the afternoon, on the day of the funeral. 

Thomas A. Doyle. 

3fayor. 



MEMORIAL SERVICES. 11 

The General Assembly not being in session, 
His Excellency the Governor requested the 
following named gentlemen to act as a leg- 
islative committee of arrangements for the 
funeral of the deceased Senator : 

On the part of the Senate, Messrs. George 
A. Wilbur, of Woonsocket, Benjamin T, 
Eames, of Providence, and David S. Baker, 
Jr., of North Kingstown. On the part of 
the House of Representatives, Mr. Speaker 
Francello G. Jillson, of Woonsocket, and 
Messrs. Henry H. Fay, of Newport, James M. 
Pendleton, of Westerly, John Garter Brown 
Woods, of Providence, William A. Harris, of 
Providence, and (Jharles Edward Paine, of 
Providence. 

The following notice was given by the leg- 
islative committee of arrangements : 



STSTE OF RHODE ISLAND. 



Providence, Sept. 4, 1884. 

The Committee of Arruugemeuts on the part of the 
General Assembly for the funeral of the late Senator 
Henry B. Anthony, request that the members of the 
General Assembly, State officers, ex-Governors and 
other ex-State officers meet in the State House on Satur- 
day, the 6th day of September, at 11 o'clock, a. m., for 
the purpose of proceeding in a body to the First Congre- 
gational Church, where the funeral services will be held. 

Carriages will be furuished to those who desire to fol- 
low the remains to the Swan Point Cemetery. 

For the Committee, 

George A. AYilbur, 

Chairman. 



MEMORIAL SERVICES. 15 

In accordance with this request, the Gov- 
ernor and other State officers, the members of 
the (General Assembly, and many other gen- 
tlemen who had previously held office in the 
State, assembled at the State House, on the 
morning of Saturday, the sixth day of Sep- 
tember. Appropriate badges of mourning 
were assumed, and the representatives of 
the State proceeded in a body to the First 
Congregational Church. The hour for the 
funeral services was fixed at twelve o'clock. 
The Church was at an early hour filled with 
a sympathetic audience. Among the num- 
ber were the President of the United States, 
Chester A. Arthur; the Attorney-General of 
the United States, Benjamin H. Brewster; the 
President of the Senate, George F. Edmunds ; 
United States Senators Nelson W. Aldrich, 
Thomas F. Bayard, Matthew C. Butler, J. 
Don. Cameron, Henry L. Dawes, Isham G. 
Harris, Joseph R. Hawley, George F. Hoar, 
Charles W. Jones, John R. McPherson, Jus- 
tin S. Morrill, Austin F. Pike, James L. Pugh, 



16 HEXRY B. AXTHOXY. 

and Matt W. Ransom; Secretary of the Sen- 
ate, Anson G. McCook ; Chaplain, Rev. E. 
D. Huntley, D. D. ; Sergeant-at-Arms, AVil- 
liam P. C^anaday; Acting Deputy Sergeants- 
at-Arms, James I. Christie and Thomas W. 
Manchester ; Assistant Doorkeeper, Isaac Bas- 
sett; Clerk, Henry A. Pierce, and Ben: Per- 
ley Poore, Clerk of the Senate Committee on 
Printing. 

There were also present, the Judges of the 
Supreme Court of the State, and of the Cir- 
cuit Court of the United States; Federal 
officers of the District; the Russian Minister 
and his family; President James B. Angell, 
of Michigan University, a former Editor of 
the Journal; His Honor Mayor Doyle, and 
other representatives of the city government ; 
members of the Board of Trade ; President 
Robinson and the Faculty of Brown Univer- 
sity ; representatives of the Providence Press 
Club, and of various other civic organiza- 
tions. His Excellency George D. Robinson, 
Governor of Massachusetts, being unable to 



MEMORIAL SERVICES. 17 

attend, was represented by Adjntant-General 
Samuel Dalton, and by Col. Charles H. Allen 
of his personal staff. Gen. Nathaniel P. 
Banks, Ex-Governor Alexander H. Rice and 
other prominent associates of the late Sen- 
ator in pul)lic life, were also present to pay 
the last tril)ate of respect to his memory. 

In compliance with the request of the Gov- 
ernor and of the Mayor of the City of Provi- 
dence, there was a general suspension of 
business during the hours of the funeral, 
and numerous decorations of mourning: in 
the principal thoroughfares of the city added 
to the solemnity of the da}^ and the occasion. 

At twelve o'clock, noon, the remains of the 
deceased Senator were borne from his late 
residence to the door of the Church, followed 
by the honorary pall bearers, William God- 
dard, William Gammell, Walter S. Burges, 
George H. Browne, Charles C. Van Zandt, 
William W. Hoppin, Henry W. Gardner and 
Edward H. Hazard. They were met at the 
entrance by the Rev. Thomas R. Slicer, the 



18 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

Pastor of the Church, the Rev. Augustus 
Woodbury, and the Rev. Dr. E. D. Huntley, 
Chaplain of the 8enate, who preceded the 
remains down the central aish', reciting the 
King's Chapel service for the dead, the sol- 
enni strains of the " Dead March in Saul " 
meanwhik^ adding most impressively to the 
service. Appropriate hymns were sung by 
the choir, among them "Lead, Kindly Light," 
a favorite with the deceased Senator, and se- 
lections from the Scripture were read by the 
Pastor of the Church, after which the Rev. 
Augustus Woodbury delivered the following 
address : 



ADDRESS BY REY. AUGUSTUS WOODBURY. 



The silent and secret forces of insidious 
disease are among those mysterious elements 
of our physical being which seem to baffle 
human skill. The physician faithfully stud- 
ies the problem, but can only approximate 
its solution. Death, by slow degrees, saps 
the foundation, and in due time overthrows 
the structure of life. Nature gradually suc- 
cumbs; the inevitable hour approaches with 
sure steps ; the organs of the body cease to 
discharge their functions ; the eyes look their 
last upon the faces of dear friends ; the spirit 
exhales, and there is nothing left but the 
rigid form, soon to change to dust and ashes. 
When death comes suddenly, we who remain 
are stunned bv the shock, and cannot make 



20 HENRY P.. ANTHONY. 

real to our hearts and minds the departure of 
our friend from the scenes in which he was a 
familiar ol)ject of our affection and regard. 
But, in the progress of long-continued sick- 
ness, we sadly watch and wait, in the anxiety 
of a protracted suspense — the fond eye of love 
catching the glimpse of every favorable symp- 
tom — hoping against hope; or noting, with 
quick and sympathetic recognition, the grad- 
ual failure of tlie physical powers, till the 
fatal change comes and leaves the heart be- 
reaved. 

All this we say is the Providential ordering, 
and we submit to the decrees of that Almighty 
Power, which joins with its action the designs 
of infinite wisdom and the exercise of infinite 
love. To the sufferer himself Avho is obliged 
to feel that death cannot be averted, although 
its coming may be somewhat delayed, the 
experience is not without its compensations. 
Human intelligence cannot devise a remedy, 
but divine Providence furnishes an allevia- 
tion in the training of chai'acter. Patience, 



REV. AUGUSTUS WOODBURY S ADDRESS. 21 

courage, trust, obediouce, arc cultivated in 
the soul. " Not as I will " becomes the 
habitual expression of the heart — difficult 
to say with a full comprehension of its mean- 
ing, but when completely realized, the sub- 
lime Avord of a victorious faith. To be Aveak 
is to be miserable! It is quite true, for am- 
bition is quenched, energy is dissipated, men- 
tal and physical activity is stopped, and one 
is forced to be a spectator merely of scenes in 
which he Avould gladly have taken part, and 
to confess that his Avork in the world is done. 
Yet this Aveakness may be reinforced by the 
divine presence and pOAver, and the spirit 
may be lifted up into a plane of life from 
Avhicli it can look serenely doAvn upon the 
weaknesses and pains of this mortal state, 
and prepare itself for the entrance into im- 
mortal life. For death, as every trustful 
heart must feel, is not the end. It is the 
transition stage of the soul, the door Avhich 
opens to the spirit the boundless realm of 
immortalit3^ 



22 HENRY P.. ANTHONY. 

Do I err in saying that upon tlie character 
of our friend, whose obsequies we obserYC to- 
day, this discipline of the spirit has been ex- 
ercised for his eternal good? The disease to 
which he has yielded was certain in its pro- 
gress, and its end was calmly foreseen. He 
could not have deceived himself by any flat- 
tering indications of temporary improvement. 
He has himself anticipated the hour when 
his physical life Avould be extinguished. Per- 
haps he may have preferred to die at the (Jap- 
ital ; possibly in the Senate chamber itself, 
the scene of his patriotic lal)ors, in the midst 
of associates who had learned both to honor 
and to love him. For men, who, when liv- 
ing, serve the State with passionate devotion, 
may fittingly desire to die on the spot which 
has been rendered memorable by their pres- 
ence — as the soldier would wish to fall upon 
the field of l)attle, or the man of God would 
wish to be stricken down wearing the harness 
of his valiant endeavor for the divine king- 
dom. But, whenever and wherever the sum- 



EEV. AUGUSTUS WOODBURY's ADDRESS. 23 

nions might come, he was ready. With a 
cheerful courage, with a patient submission, 
with an undoubting trust, he has cahnly 
looked forward to the time of his departure 
from the field of active life. For him death 
had no terrors, for he had schooled himself 
to that serenity of soul which could not be 
disturbed either in life or death. Not given 
much to introspection, certainly not disposed 
to make public his private and personal expe- 
riences, he was yet, without doubt, conscious 
in himself of this calm and peaceful state, 
and thus passed painlessly and (juietly to his 
final rest. Long has he filled the public eye, 
well has he accomplished the mission of his 
public service, faithfully has he discharged 
the public trusts committed to his care, and 
now he leaves to his fellow-citizens and his 
fellow-countrymen the record of his diligent 
and devoted labor. We attempt no laljored 
panegyric. We pass no judgment. The fu- 
ture will determine the value of his service, 
and posterity will pronounce the verdict. 



24 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

"Well done!" To speak a simple word of 
appreciation before the grave shall shut him 
from our sight, is thy office of the hour. 

Mr. Anthony was a genuine child and 
a faithful representative of Rhode Island. 
Born upon her soil, nurtured in her tradi- 
tions, educated at her University, receiving 
the highest honors she had to give, he thor- 
oughly believed in tlie perfection of her pol- 
icy and the permanence of her institutions. 
When called upon to defend the peculiar 
features of her government, lie brought to 
the task Ijotli the ability of an ad\'Ocate and 
the devotion of a son. In the editorial chair 
of the journal which he controlled, and in 
his seat in the Senate, he never forgot the 
obligations he owed to the mother, who had 
reared and raised him to the position which 
he occupied and filled. He was jealous of 
her honor and was always prepared to do 
valiant battle for her ancient prerogatives. 
The arguments which more than once he 
made both in the Providence Journal and 



REV. AUGUSTUS WOODBURY 's ADDRESS. 25 

ill the Senate in her behalf, may not have 
wholly convinced those who believed, that 
ill the changes of the times a more generous 
e:!ftension of suffrage and a freer commercial 
policy were desirable. But no one could 
question the depth of his convictions and 
the sincerity of his faith. He was positive 
that the prosi)erity of the State and the wel- 
fare of its people were bound up in the main- 
tenance of institutions which its history had 
sanctioned. With the power of this assur- 
ance, he went to his duty with an unflinch- 
ing resolution to give to it the fullest ability 
he could command. This element of strength 
is not to be lightly valued in making up the 
estimate of his character. 

But the claims of his native State were not 
permitted to lessen his devotion to his coun- 
try's need. His patriotism was as wise and 
enlightened as it was eminent and marked. 
Entering the Senate at a time when the first 
mutterings of the storm that was to sweep 
the land were heard, he was prepared with a 



26 HEXRY B. ANTHOXY. 

calm courage to face the tempest when it 
broke. Feeling the full sense of the respon- 
sibility of the occasion, as a representative of 
the Union, he was fearless and urgent in all 
measures for the defence of free institutions 
and the preservation of the Repuljlic. He 
never doubted the result of the struggle in 
its darkest days, but cheerfully and bravely 
Avrought on for the achievement of a full suc- 
cess. In the days of reconstruction he en- 
deavored so to act that no second misfortune 
of the kind should befall. The constitution 
of the Senate clianged. One by one his early 
associates passed away. Some paid the debt 
of Nature. Others w^ere swept away by polit- 
ical revolutions. But no revolutions touched 
his seat or alienated the support of the people 
of his State. Repeated reelections returned 
him to his Senatorial chair. He became the 
"Father of the Senate," and as the new mem- 
bers came in they sought both his counsel 
and his friendship. He Avas elected President 
pro tempore, and with grace and dignity he 



REV. AUGUSTUS WOODBURY's ADDRESS. 27 

conducted the deliberations of tlie distin- 
guished body which called him to its chief 
post of honor. It was something more than 
a compliment, when the Senate, notwith- 
standing his precarious health, delayed its 
organization and once more elected him to 
the office, hoping that he might be able to 
discharge its duties. It was a recognition of 
his worth, and though he was obliged to de- 
cline the position, he was touched with grat- 
itude and made more conscious than ever of 
the warmth of feeling which his fellow mem- 
bers cherislied towards him in their hearts. 
He was the model legislator of the upper 
branch of the National Congress, not indulg- 
ing in long debate, but always attentive and 
always present in the spirit of conscious duty. 
His practical wisdom is perpetuated in the 
rule for facilitating the business of the Senate 
which l)ears his name. 

Public life has many temptations, and there 
have been men in public station who have 
thought it not beneath them to serve them- 



28 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

selves and their own interest Avhile engaged 
in serving the State. It is true, that many 
stories that are bandied about in tlie pul)lie 
press, which seizes upon them with too ready 
an appetite for scandal, are gross exaggera- 
tions. In the fierce light that beats upon 
official station peccadilloes become crimes. 
Of these indeed, we condone nothing, we ex- 
cuse nothing. But i)artisan zeal may some- 
times put a wrong construction upon innocent 
motives and acts. Happily for ourselves we 
have no need to speak here with l)ated breath. 
For honor lias followed merit and tlie biuret 
bears no bHghted leaf. Of the value and 
honesty of Mr. Anthony's public service 
there has never been the slightest question. 
No lireath of detraction ever tarnished the 
lustre of his well-earned public fame. He 
did not seek or use his office for private gain 
or personal emolument. If he did not rise — 
or even aspire to rise — to the summit of the 
highest statesmanslii]), he yet allowed no one 
to surpass him in (be singleness of his pur- 



EEV. AUGUSTUS WOODBURY S ADDRESS. 29 

pose to advance tlie interests of his State and 
to promote the welfare of his country. His 
stainless patriotism and liis unsullied pnhlic 
integrity are known of all men. They are 
as credita])le to the i)eople of our common- 
wealth as to himself. The re})resentative re- 
flects the character of his constituents. If 
the fountain of ])uhlic virtue l)e pure, the 
stream cannot well ]h> turhid. 

It seems liut commonplace to speak of Mr. 
Anthony's literary attainments. Accepting 
journalism as his profession, he rapidl}^ car- 
ried the paper which he edited to the fore- 
most rank. Soon after he took charge of it 
there occurred that period of great puhlic 
disturl)ance when the safety of the common- 
wealth fairly trembled in the balance. He 
promptly and ably met the emergency, and 
gave such direction to public sentiment and 
such encouragement to the cause of pul)]ic 
order, as to merit the generous recognition of 
the value of his labors which his fellow-citi- 
zens were glad to give. With a clear, incisive. 



80 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

direct style of composition, he brought to the 
daily discussion of current events and public 
measures the ample stores and full equipment 
of a well-furnished mind. He brightened the 
columns of the Journal with delicate humor 
and lambent wit. When indulging in satire, 
he carried in the velvet scabljard of his well- 
turned periods a sword sharp as the scimetar 
of Saladin. In the consideration of graver 
themes he exhibited a cogency and vigor 
which revealed the strength of an original 
and carefully-trained intellect. If one should 
meet him in controversy, it were well to see 
that there were no weak or unguarded places 
in the joints of the armor. For his keen eye 
was sure to find them, and his trenchant blade 
would be thrust home witli fatal result. His 
election as Governor did not take him from 
his daily labor, while he neglected no public 
duty. When relieved from his service at 
Washington, even when aided by the grace- 
ful and accomplished scholar who now pre- 
sides over the University of Michigan, he was 



REV. AUGUSTUS WOODBURy's ADDRESS. 31 

still active in his editorial lal^or. It was not 
till the advent of his late associate — whose 
recent death was like the loss of his right 
arm — that he can be said to have really re- 
lincjuished the management of the Journal. 
Its columns were enriched by frequent con- 
tributions from his ready pen. After Mr. 
Danielson assumed control, the daily mail 
brought to the office the letter which he 
found time amidst engrossing cares to write. 
He loved the Journal, for it was his off- 
spring. 

His fellow Senators will, in due time, bear 
witness to the excellence and variety of these 
literary gifts. In a larger field, on a more 
conspicuous stage the same qualities of mind 
and heart were displayed. He did not often 
speak at length. It would be far from his 
habit to occupy an entire session with pro- 
longed address. But when he spoke, it was 
from a thorough knowledge of his subject, 
and in pregnant and weighty words. His 
long experience and his accurate ac(|uaint- 



32 HENEY B. ANTHONY. 

ance with public affairs gave him a coni- 
manding influence. He was well entitled to 
the respect and attention with Avhich he was 
always heard. His Avork in the committee 
room was thorough and efficient, and the 
public measures which he brought to the 
Senate, well digested and prepared, were ac- 
cepted as the conclusions of one who knew 
well the true character and purpose of na- 
tional legislation. 

In one department of puljlic speaking he 
certainly excelled. The memorial addresses 
which from time to time he delivered in the 
Senate are among the finest specimens of 
elegiac oratory to be found in our language. 
In this he discharged no perfunctory duty. 
Speaking from the heart, with a delicate ap- 
preciation of character, with a marvellous 
felicity of diction and facility of expression, 
Avith a complete and clear conception of the 
gravity of tfie occasion, he uttered the sin- 
cere sentiments of Ijrotherly affection and 
friendly regard. Of these the three addresses 



REV. AUGUSTUS WOODBURY's ADDRESS. 33 

which he made on the death of Senator Sum- 
ner are preeminent. It became his duty to 
dehver to the authorities of Massachusetts 
the body of the deceased statesman. I have 
been told Ijy the Sergeant-at-Arms of the 
Senate who accompanied the committee to 
Boston, that Mr. Axthony was not informed 
till reaching the frontier of the State of what 
was expected of him. Amidst the noise and 
turmoil of the railway journey, he composed 
in his mind the brief but touching address, 
which deserves to be inscribed on the imper- 
ishal)le bronze. It Avas the grateful expres- 
sion of profound feeling when, in committing 
to the Governor of our neighboring common- 
wealth the mortal part of her honored son, 
he further said : "The part which we do not 
return to you is not wholly yours to receive, 
nor altogether ours to give. It belongs to 
the country, to freedom, to civilization, to 
humanity." The heart of the man spoke 
from the tongue, and when, on other occa- 
sions he addressed the Senate in eulogy of 



34 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

the friends who had fallen by his side, we 
may well believe, that his whole nature was 
stirred by the warm emotions that found ex- 
pression on his eloquent lips. 

Glimpses of his inner life are thus vouch- 
safed to us. And if we were permitted here 
to enter into those sacred precincts, where 
personal and private sorrow has its home, 
there would be a full revelation of kindness, 
gentle consideration, fraternal love, generous 
helpfulness, lo3^al friendship and uplifting 
faith. An early sorrow touched our friend 
soon after he had entered upon his public 
career. There is no doubt but that it tinged 
all his subsequent yenra. For though in so- 
cial intercourse he was a most genial host, an 
ever welcome guest, a delightful companion 
and the centre of a charmed and charming 
circle of friends, there was still the unseen 
presence of a melancholy, which checked the 
exuberance qf his spirits. It was the minor 
chord in the harmony of his life. It is not 
for me to dwell upon the theme. Those who 



REV. AUGUSTUS WOODBURY 's ADDRES!- 



OO 



have through life feU the warm contact of his 
love, who have experienced the joy of his 
friendship, who have shared his confidence 
and secured his esteem, carry in their hearts 
the fervent, grateful appreciation of his vir- 
tue, and will long cherish the raemorv of his 
worth. Those who were associated with him 
in the common duties and lal)ors of human- 
ity, those who were employed by him in the 
conduct of his chosen occupation, those who 
for many years have looked upon him as a 
master and leader in their l)usiness, will ac- 
knoAvledge the justice and honor with which 
every detail was observed, the fidelity with 
which every obligation was met, and the 
thoroughness with which every task was 
performed. Three score years and ten have 
nearly passed. The heavy l)urden has been 
laid down. The weary body is at rest. The 
busy mind has transferred its activity to an- 
other sphere of being. The spirit is with its 
God. 

Mr. AxTHoxY has seen in the Senate a gen- 



3G HENEY B. AXTHONY. 

oration of statesnion pass away. He has seen 
a new generation come upon the stage of pub- 
he hfe. Is the past better tlian the present? 
As we bid f\xrewell to those who vanish from 
our sight, have we no Avord of wek-ome to 
those wlio are pressing forward? We grieve 
over the death of men who, we thought, coukl 
hardly be spared. We look around to see 
wlio are to take up and carry on the work 
which they have been doing. A pillar of 
the State has fallen, and as we look upon 
the fragments, we fear tliat the structure 
is weakened. But the Republic, bereaved 
afresh of one of its most trusted and trust- 
worthy counsellors, still lives. Divine Provi- 
dence ahvays finds its agents and instruments, 
and by the inspiration and help of the Divine 
presence the blessed results })romised for hu- 
manity will be attained. I cannot more 
fittingly close this address than in Mr. Ax- 
thony's own Avords: "When I recall those 
whom I liave seen fall around me, and whom 
I thought necessary to the success, almost to 



REV, AUGUSTUS WOODBURY S ADDRESS. 37 

tlie preservation of great principles, I recall 
also those whom I have seen step into the 
vacant places, pnt on the armor which they 
wore, lift the weapons which they wielded, 
and march on to the consummation of the 
w<")rk which they inaugurated. And thus I 
am filled with reverent wonder at the benefi- 
cent ordering of nature, and inspired with a 
loftier faith in that Almighty Power, with- 
out Avhose guidance and direction all human 
effort is vain, and with whose blessing the 
humblest instruments that He selects are 
equal to the mightiest work that He de- 



The exercises at the church closed with 
prayers, the singing of an appropriate hymn 
by the congregation, and the benediction. 

The funeral cortege was large and impos- 
ing. The streets through which it slowly 
^vended its way were thronged with jjeople, 
who by their countenances expressed their 



38 HENRY P.. ANTHONY. 

profound sensil)ility of tlie public bereave- 
ment. At the Swan Point Cemetery the 
remains were entombed, tlie Chaplain of the 
Senate uttered fervent i)rayer, and the as- 
semblage bowed with uncovered heads and 
saddened hearts. 

" The dark orowd moves, and tlieve are sobs and tears: 
The black earth yawns : tlic mortal disappears ; 
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust ; 
He is o'one who seem'd so great." 



ACTION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. 



On the assembling of the General Assembly 
at its adjourned session in Providence, on the 
sixth day of January, 1885, His Excellency 
the Governor in his annual Message to the 
two Houses, referred to the death of Senator 
Anthony in the following words: 

''I have now to perform the sad duty of 
announcing to the General Assembly, offi- 
cially, the death of Hon. Henry B. Anthony, 
who was our senior memljer in the United 
States Senate. He died in the city of Provi- 
dence, September 2d, in the 70th year of his 
age. 

"Twenty-seven years ago this spring he 
was elected by the almost unanimous vote of 
the General Assembly to the United States 



40 HEXRY B. ANTHONY. 

Senate, and at the time of his death was the 
senior nieni1)er in k'ligth of consecutive ser- 
vice. During this entire period he possessed 
not only tlie unbounded confidence of his 
constituents, Ijut Ijv his marked abilities, his 
devotion to duty, and his uniform courtesy, 
he had gained the entire confidence and es- 
teem of his fellow Senators. On the 14th of 
Januar}^, 1884, he was elected to the high 
position of President of the Senate and act- 
ing Vice-President of the United States, but, 
owing to his feeble health, was obliged to de- 
cline the office, very much to the disai)point- 
ment of the people of ivhode Island, and of 
his many friends throughout the country. 

"Although for nearly a year and a half he 
suffered from a dangerous disease, he at times 
regained so much of his accustomed strength 
that we all had h()j)ed that he would be spared 
to us for many years. 

"A grateful peo})le will long rememl)er his 
valuable services, and will cherish his many 
virtues." 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 



In the House of Representatives, on the 
same day, the following Resolutions were 
presented by Ex-Governor Charles C. Van 
Zandt, a representative from Newport : 

Resolutions upon the death of Senator Anthony. 

Whereas, The Honorable Henry B. Anthony, the 
senior Senator from Rhode Island in the Congress of 
the United States, after a lingering illness, is dead, full 
of years and honors, having served faithfully and with 
distinguished ability, for a period unprecedented in dura- 
tion in the history of the State : 

Therefore, Resolved, This General Assembly de- 
sires to express and to spread upon the records of the 
State their appreciation of the eminent character and 
brilliant services of Senator Anthony and the genuine 
patriotism which inspired his statesmanship and shaped 
his public and private career. 



42 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

Resolved, The Honorable Senate concurring herein, 
that these resohitions be entered upon the records of 
each of the two Houses of this General Assembly. 



The resolutions were ordered printed and 
made the special order for Friday, the ninth 
day of January, when they were called from 
the table by Ex-Governor Van Zandt, who 
addressed the House as follows: 

EX-GOVERNOR VAN ZANDT's REMARKS. 

Mr. Speaker. — I do not know whether I can 
add by any words of mine to the force and 
strength of what has already been said, not 
only in this State but through the length 
and breadth of the country, of the graces 
and the patriotism of Henry B. Anthony. 
I am only a follower of those who have said 
everything that was to be expressed in his 
memory. I only bring a few personal remi- 
niscences and an offering of sincere friend- 



I 



EX-GOV. VAN ZANDT S REMARKS. 43 

ship to the memoi;y of one whom for ma 113^ 
years, I have known, esteemed and sustained. 

History has been made with rapidity dur- 
ing the last twenty-five years; it has accom- 
plished more in that time than in the two 
centuries preceding. It seems to me that the 
men of this nation who, either in the forum 
or in the field, have identified themselves 
with the right and defended and supported 
it in the hour of peril are entitled to the 
very first places in the hearts of their coun- 
trymen, and as time recedes, and what is to 
us now a vivid picture, must become a mere 
memory of the past, these men will stand 
preeminent in the history of the country 
and the State. 

Our resolutions are sympathetic and friend- 
ly, and our remarks as to the life and char- 
acter of Henry B. AntiJony are given in a 
different way, I might say in a different 
spirit, from that which will in a few hours 
or days be spoken under the great dome of 
the Capitol at Washington, for there his ser- 



44 HEXKY P.. AXTHOXY. 

vices will be recognized and enlogized b}^ the 
strongest and ablest men and the most elo- 
qnent statesmen of both parties in this great 
countiy. It will be grand and dignified; it 
will be as solemn and majestic as the "Dead 
March in Sanl." Here we gather as one Tam- 
il}^ and recall the different recollections of 
him, near to our hearts, and in contrast to 
what will be done in the capital city of this 
conntrv. It will differ from the national 
enlogies because through it will run like a 
golden thread the dearer melody of "Home, 
Sweet Home." 

Senator Anthony was born on the soil of 
Rhode Island, in one of its pleasant rural 
villages, and dame nature smiled upon his 
face when he was an infant and beautified it 
forever. He came to the city when young; 
he graduated from our University; all his 
earlier manhood, with some unimportant ex- 
ceptions, was passed among us, and the result 
of his bringing up was a sound old-fashioned 
conservatism. This fashioned and controlled 



Ex-Gov. VAN zaxdt's eemarks. 45 

his whole life and his actions. I propose to 
speak very briefly to you to-day upon Hexry 
B. AxTHoxY, the man, the editor, and the 
statesman. 

After graduating Avith high honors, and 
with eyes full of hope and cheeks flushed 
Avith the anticipation of dawning manhood, 
he Avent forth to earn his OAvn living, as he 
AA^as not gifted Avith large ancestral posses- 
sions. When he AA^as young he displayed 
taste and culture. He had a natural incli- 
nation for poetry, and some of his earlier 
verses might Avell be used to-day to garland 
his tomb Avhen he died full of honors and 
of 3^ears. He Avielded the pen of a ready 
Avriter, and Avhen he became an editor it Avas 
marvellous to see the subtle charm and force 
and beauty of diction AA'hich he gave to his 
paragraphs, AAdiich Avere pregnant AAuth A\'is- 
dom. It seemed to me sometimes that his 
ready and trenchant paragraph gloAved and 
sparkled as one might imagine the magnetic 
Avire AAuth its message of flame touched with 



40 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

a pencil of fire. There was an exquisite 
charm and fascination in his words, akin 
to music, and a force and accuracy and 
common sense in his conclusions. He never 
buried or suffocated facts or good sense in a 
profusion of rhetoric. And therefore it was 
natural that in his early days he should be 
called to the editorship of what was then the 
principal paper in Rhode Island. How well 
he discharged the duties of his position the 
older men ])efore me know perhaps better 
than the younger. He wrote with the accu- 
racy and polish of an Addison his editorials 
in the columns of the Providence Daily Jour- 
nal. Day after day he performed his inces- 
sant and untiring labors as editor, and how 
incessant the labors of an editor are when 
the paper stands at his bedside every morn- 
ing and calls like the leech's daughter crying 
for "more and more," only an editor knows. 
This hard Avork he did, and brought the 
finest culture of the scholar to his assistance. 
I think that everv one will concede that 



EX-GOV. VAN ZAXDT's REMARKS. 47 

Henry B. Anthony, during the struggle in 
this State from 1840 to 1842, when there was 
serious internal trouble respecting the organic 
law of the State, conscientiously ascertained 
the right and the conservative interests, as 
he esteemed them, of the people, and battled 
for them to victory, and this he did all 
through life. The results of this flowed in 
upon him personally. His paper was a suc- 
cess. Time rolled on and he surrounded 
himself with the most sparkling coterie of 
friends that ever assembled in this State, and 
as brilliant as gathered in the days of good 
Queen Bess in England. Men of intellectual 
keenness and learning, possessing great pow- 
ers of wit and satire, naturally erratic in pro- 
portion to their brilliancy — for comets have 
no well defined orbits, and the meteor that 
scatters diamonds and rubies on the breast 
of night has no orbit at all,— but the subtle 
and wonderful powers of Henry B. Anthony 
easily placed him first among them. Al- 
though many of them were gifted with rare 



HENRY B. ANTHONY 



genius, yet without his conceded leadersliip 
it would have been barren of results. This 
was a personal power I have never seen sur- 
passed. 

He married early in life, and his life was 
saddened by the ^death of the lovely woman 
who became everything to him. She shared 
his labors, penned editorials, wrote brief par- 
agraphs, and was always at his side. She 
died many years ago. 

I have some hesitancy as to the fitness of 
my making one remark, Ijut after due delib- 
eration it appears to me to be so tender and 
so delightful a view of the character of the 
dead statesman, that I cannot refrain from 
mentioning it here. I Avas with him one 
evening in the month of November ; it was 
just about the gloaming. There Avas a great 
Avood fire sparkling on the hearthstone; AA^e 
sat talking, .when l)y-and-l)y he Avent up 
stairs but came down in n feAv moments and 
brouglit Avitli liim a Avliite marl)le model of a 
female hand. He lield it up to me and it 



EX-GOV. VAN ZANDt's REMARKS. 49 

became almost lifelike in the glowing of the 
fire. He said to me that it was his wife's 
hand. As I stood by the side of his coffin 
and saw his hands lying upon his breast cold 
and white in death it came irresistibly into 
my mind that in the land aljove the stars 
and clouds those two hands would be united 
forever, and there would be no more sei3ara- 
tion or parting. 

Governor Anthony remained as editor of 
the Providence Journal and actively engaged 
in kindred pursuits until he was elected Sen- 
ator. You are f\imiliar, Mr. Speaker, with 
the circumstances that led to his election as 
Governor, and the graceful dignity with 
which he adorned that position, and the 
conservative character he gave to his admin- 
istration. The people wished to elect him for 
a third time, but he declined. Yet after an 
interval of years, still in the f\iithful service 
of the public as editor, he was chosen to the 
position of United States Senator. This was 
in 1858, and I cast mv first vote for him. I 



50 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

well remember the occasion, and how that 
rosy cheeked, dark eyed young man sped on 
his way to Washington with ambition more 
than gratified. The civil Avar began almost 
contemporaneously, and if Henry B. An- 
thony during the entire course of his Sen- 
atorial career ever spoke a false word or gave 
an unpatriotic vote, I am not aware of it. 
There was an exquisite symmetr}^ in his 
whole career which defied criticism and dis- 
armed partisanship. He was a party man, 
3^et he was regarded with affection and ad- 
miration by, I think I may say, all the mem- 
bers of the opposite party. He stood by 
Abraham Lincoln, strengthened his hands, 
cheered his heart and supported his admin- 
istration faithfully and devotedly; he sus- 
tained the government with men and money, 
and if one were to be asked which was the 
hardest, whether to stand in the field ^vhcre 
grim visaged war had reared its awful front 
or face to face in the Senate cliamber witli 
defiant and sullen men, who with their States 



EX-GOV. VA?f ZANDT's REMARKS. 51 

were leaving one by one, and subsequently 
opposed by those who misunderstood what 
they called his radicalism in the conduct of 
the war, he might Avell say — It was the 
higher moral heroism to stand there calmly, 
coolly and faithfully, and sustain the gov- 
ernment and preserve the Union. 

In the Senate he was at one time presid- 
ing officer and practically Vice-President of 
the United States. Although at times there 
seemed to be almost a want of virile power, 
yet when you contemplate him carefully you 
see that it was the result of prudence and 
discretion, mingled in no way Avith appre- 
hension or hesitancy. He differed in tem- 
perament from many others, yet he differed 
wisely and well. 

I do not know, Mr. Speaker, that I can add 
anything to these imperfect -statements. It 
is very difficult when a man's heart is too 
near his lips for him to express his thoughts 
with that clearness and force and eloquence 
which he would desire to use. But truth is 



52 HEXRY B. ANTHONY. 

always eloquent, and truth is more than elo- 
quent when it is irradiated with S3'mpath3^ 
and with love. 

Henry B. Anthony has passed away. He 
will always he rememhered in the history of 
the State. We come here to-day to cast our 
glistening pebbles on his cairn. A few days 
and w^e shall throw our ballots for the man 
who is to succeed him. Veril}^ Mr. Speaker, 
the king is dead; long live the king. 



Mr. Charles E. Gorman, of Providence, 
then spoke as follows : 

MR. Gorman's remarks. 

3Ir. Speaker. — In tlie midst of the aflPection- 
ate praises of friends and the admiring eulo- 
gies of political associates, I deem it my duty 
toward the memory of our late Senator to 
add the word of one who bore toward him in 
life tlie relations of political antagonism and 
of personal friendliness. 



:\[R. GORMAX'S REMARKS. 53 

The occasion, though one of eulogy, is 
ne(^essarily one of generosity, for it is most 
becoming when the lips are sealed by death, 
that the truthful testimony of the living 
should be spoken unalloyed with the contests 
that are closed and unaffected by the differ- 
ences that are terminated. 

It is now fully thirty years since I first 
met Senator Anthony. He was then the 
editor of the Providence Journal, I a news- 
boy. 

At that time the present system of ex- 
changes between newspapers did not prevail, 
and papers pul)lished in foreign cities were 
obtained by purchase. It was one of my 
daily duties, upon the arrival of the New 
York and Boston dailies, to carry them to 
the editorial room of the Journal, then on 
Washington row. The relation thus early 
established between Senator Axthoxy and 
myself was a very pleasant, although not in- 
timate one. The impression that a man like 
Senator Axthoxy would make on a young 



54 HENRY P.. ANTHONY. 

boy is one of tliose that lasts tlirough life. 
To me this daily intercourse and its sur- 
roundings are as of yesterday. I can picture 
him now in that inner sanctum, the embodi- 
ment of manly vigor and handsomeness, sur- 
rounded in the late afternoon l)y that group 
of Rhode Island's sons and friends of his, 
whom he "grappled to his heart with hooks 
of steel"; the then centre of Rhode Island's 
statescraft and politics as it continued until 
his demise. 

I can now well fancy how within that 
little room the affairs of the State and the 
political party, of which his paper was the 
organ, were discussed and determined, and 
how Governors, and Senators, and Repre- 
sentatives were made and unmade. 

Some of the men that gathered there, are 
still among us, the majority liave passed to 
realms beyond. 

Among the dead I recall Professor Goddard, 
the polished scholar and courteous gentleman, 
whose careful productions invariably entered 



I 



MR. Gorman's remarks. 55 

the columns of the Journal iinserutiiiized Ijy 
the careful editor; James F. Simmons, mod- 
est and retiring, then approaching his Sena- 
torial term, full of facts and information 
relating to the diversified industries of New 
England; Sullivan Dorr, the father, primely 
dressed with immaculate ruffled shirt and 
genial ruddy face; Wilkins Updike, with his 
quaint figure, blue coat and brass buttons; 
Nathan F. Dixon, liis bosom friend of college 
days long passed, plain of speech and man- 
ner, but every inch a man ; and William P. 
Blodgett, with his practical pleasantries and 
radiant expression. 

Of those among us, EdAvard H. Hazard, full 
of quip and joke, and with that soft manner 
that touches grief so lightly and consolingly ; 
Hon. William W. Hoppin, whose gentleness, 
so natural, gives us a glimpse of what Ches- 
terfield had been ; Hon. Walter S. Burges, 
Democratic to the core, but knowing tlie pure 
qualities of true friendship never allowed his 
politics to disturb the attachment Ijetween 



56 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

himself and his lifo-Ioiig friend, and Stephen 
Harris, holding in his hand every wire that 
could be pulled at the approaching contests, 
and many, many others, Mr. Speaker, could 
I recall, all, the best of Rhode Island's sons. 

Were the portraits of the men who thus 
gathered around Senator Anthony portrayed 
upon canvas, there would be preserved an 
historical picture of the brains, the culture 
and ability that dictated the destinies of the 
State during that period, worthy of preserva- 
tion upon these Avails, 

May I say, Mr. Speaker, that of all tliat 
entered that room none Avere more welcomed 
or more kindly received than the swift-footed, 
happy-hearted newsboy, who thoughtlessly in- 
terrupted discussion, carelessly pervaded pri- 
vacy — never rebuffed, always smiled upon, 
and at New Years generously remembered. 
But, sir, these were the (jualities of the man — 
a man of heart, of gentleness and of charity. 

This was of my ])oyhood days. Thirty 
years have since rolled swiftly by, but the 



MR. Gorman's remarks. 57 

recollections of the kindness that shone upon 
that unequal intercourse remains bright with- 
in my memory to-day. 

In a few years the gracious editor was lost 
in the dignity of the Senator, I thought, to 
me forever. Sixteen years afterwards I had 
occasion to visit Washington, bearing with 
me a petition in behalf of my fellow-citizens 
relating to the suffrage laws of this State. 
To my surprise, on the morning of my arri- 
val, Senator Anthony called upon me at my 
hotel. He recalled our former relations, and 
extended to me in that gracious manner so 
preeminently his own, the hospitality of his 
table and his assistance in all that would 
conduce to my business or pleasure. From 
thenceforward our acquaintance continued, 
unbroken in its pleasant relations. 

Those who ever met Senator Anthony in 
Washington will readily appreciate the deli- 
cacy of his attentions and confiding influ- 
ences of his manner. And those who have 
met him under any circumstances will always 



58 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

remember the seductive charm of his bearing. 
To him all were his equals, and thus he 
treated them. An opponent might well ex- 
claim after first meeting him : 

"Make me not acquainted with thy enemy lest I become his 
friend ! " 

Of Mr. Anthony as the active editor of the 
Joiirnal, I of course know but little ; long be- 
fore I became interested in editorials he had 
resigned that position, and it had passed into 
other hands. Sufficient, however, in my time 
has been traced to his pen, to easily distin- 
guish his graceful style and pungent pro- 
ductions. Those rich, trenchant, piercing 
paragraphs Avere the work of a master hand. 
They did their work well and in no bungling 
manner. If they did at some times wound, 
it was a sharp, dexterous cut that usually 
healed and rarely left a scar. 

Senator Anthony has frequently been re- 
ferred to asj a Rhode Island man. I do not 
understand this to mean that he would not 
have been prominent outside of Rhode Isl- 



:\rR. GORMAN S REMARKS. -)'.; 

and. I certainly do not ascribe to him that 
in order to shine a small State was necessary 
for a brilliant exhibition of his talents. He 
entered active life in the State of his birth 
amidst the men who had passed ttirough 
the eventful days of 1842. He knew Rhode 
Island, her people and her traditions well. 
He studied all that entered into the political 
forces of that time, of the then reorganized 
State. He knew Avhere the political poAver 
lay, and where were the weaknesses in the 
citadel of that power, and he set himself to 
the patriotic work (as he judged it) of direct- 
ing that power and defending those weak- 
nesses. How successfully he accomplished 
it, none know better than I, and none in 
this House, however deploringly, more read- 
ily acknowledge the fact. 

Unstintedly I accord to his memory the 
tribute of his having done his work well and 
with a chieftain's strength. 

In these years, however, although at the 
head of a party ample in power, he met 



GO HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

many controversies and strifes, and in the 
allaying of these he displayed a power that 
was as rare as it was masterly. In the ampli- 
tude of power, the arrogance of factions with- 
in are as dangerous as opponents without. 

In all these party strifes it was his word 
and counsel, it was his magnetism and cour- 
age that allayed dissension and reformed the 
lines of his party to march to their political 
contests with unbroken front. 

Senator Anthony may not be deemed to 
have acquired the fame as a statesman that 
fell to the lot of many of his illustrious asso- 
ciates, but he was a most consummate leader 
of men. He possessed in a preeminent de- 
gree that peculiar and necessary power in 
American politics to understand men and to 
direct their action; to discern the political 
forces, active and dormant, and to control 
and bring them into play, so that the politi- 
cal ideas and principles one maintains may 
be carried to success ; the ability to allay dis- 
cord and to appear upon the field when all is 



MR. Gorman's remarks. 61 

dismay and disaster, and to snatch victory 
from the verge of defeat. This was truly a 
great and useful quality. I have never met 
one within this State who approached him in 
the possession of this power, and we vainly 
look for one that even approaches him in 
this respect now that he is gone. 

To such a man Rhode Island Avas but a 
play-ground. And I have no doubt that in 
the great national contests of his party the 
counsel of his wisdom, his experiences, and 
his ability, was often sought. 

Senator Anthony would have been a great 
leader in any community, and would have 
added lustre to American diplomacy where- 
ever his country might have sent him. 

In the State apart from his public career 
he will ever be remembered by the goodness 
of his heart, the polish of his culture and the 
blamelessness of his life. 

His, however, was largely a public career. 
Entering the Senate of the United States at a 
period which demanded the highest of patri- 



62 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

otic action, he was the surest witness upon 
the watch towers of the nation of Rhode 
Island's devotion to the Union. His un- 
precedentedly long and continuous term of 
service, it is true, was not marked by any 
significant act of statesmanship or by any 
illustrious exhibition of talent, but his ster- 
ling devotion to duty was not defaced by 
any act of cupidity or sullied by dishonor. 
In my mind Mr, Anthony's fame as a Sen- 
ator may well rest with those of his associates 
and the measures they formulated and he 
sustained. 

Upon the passage of the thirteenth amend- 
ment the country released, amidst their for- 
mer masters in bondage, four millions of 
slaves, and it became an immediate problem 
of the nation what their future should be. 
Clothed with citizenship, bringing to them 
new rights and privileges, how could these 
be secured became a pressing and embarrass- 
ing question. He and they solved this great 
question at once, finally and fully, in the 



MR. Gorman's remarks. 63 

true x\^merican Avay, by the fourteenth and 
fifteenth amendments to the national Consti- 
tution, by whicli these recently created free- 
men and citizens, numerous but politically 
powerless, were armed with the American 
weapon of defence against tyranny and mis- 
rule — the ballot. 

He knew well tliat if a consideral^le por- 
tion of a community were left unprotected 
by the possession of the ballot, their liberties 
and rights were in constant jeopardy. He 
knew, too, that although this sacred right of 
suffrage were placed even in the hands of an 
unlettered race, that while there might be 
some abuse, that in the long run its educa- 
tional influences would result in preserving 
the commonwealth in peace, order and pros- 
perity. 

It is, therefore, in connection with these 
declarations of great American principles of 
Democratic government that I prefer to re- 
member him. 

It detracts none from the honor in which 



64 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

he should be held by the people he helped to 
legislate into freedom and elevate into citi- 
zenship that he was not more comprehensive 
in the application of these principles. Nor 
am I here to-day with any desire to criticise 
or to pluck one laurel from his brow. 

The period of Mr. Anthony's Senatorial 
term was one within which many of his as- 
sociates were driven from their pul)lic posts 
of duty in dishonor and disgrace. When 
this is the fact, I deem that it is proper to 
give emphasis to the lofty, honest and pure 
public reputation he ever bore. 

Senator Anthony was in every sense a 
man, the memory of whom the State should 
honor. Whatever may be written of our his- 
tory previous to the time when he entered 
active life, the period from thenceforward 
contains no more conspicuous citizen, and 
when the history of the times within Avhich 
he lived is written, his name will be foremost 
of her many illustrious sons around whom 
all others must be grouped. The death of 



MR. Pendleton's remarks. 65 



such a man is essentially a loss to the State, 
to me it can be no more than one whose pri- 
vate character I respected, whose public vir- 
tues I extol, whose open political antagonism 
I admired, whose personal kindness I miss. 
But to those who have had the assistance of 
his counsel and have followed in the foot- 
steps of his leadership to so many victories, 
and never to defeat, the loss will be truly 
great. We must remember, however, on 
such occasions, 

" The glories of our blood aud State 
Are shadows, not substantial things ; 
There is no armour against fate ; 
Death lays his icy hand on kings ; 
Sceptre aud crown 
Must tumble down, 
And in the dust be equal made 
With the poor crooked scythe and spade." 



Mr. James M. Pendleton, of Westerly, ad- 
dressed the House as follows : 



66 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 



MR. PENDLETON S REMARKS. 

ilfr. Speaker. — I am not so presumptuous as 
to rise here with the intention to pronounce 
a eulogy on him whose sudden death sent a 
shock of sorrow, not only throughout this 
State which loved him so well, and which he 
served so long, so faithfully, and with bril- 
liant distinction, but throughout the nation, 
which mourns the loss of a servant on whose 
virtues, abilities and well proven patriotism, 
so long the ornament and stay of her highest 
council chamber, she had come to rely. 

My more modest purpose is to attempt, as 
well as I can, to make a simple statement of 
what seem to me some of the chief qualities 
of mind and character which made him so 
endeared, so trusted, so honored. 

It is now thirty-six years since I first knew 
Henry B. Anthony. Since 1861, for twenty- 
four years I have known him personally ; 
some of the time intimately. I have been 



MR. Pendleton's remaeks. 67 

something of a close and interested observer 
of his public life, and, sir, when I think of 
the service of Senator Anthony, extending 
as it does, through such a long space, and 
that space covering as it does the most criti- 
cal and trying period of our national career, 
when I am called upon this solemn and 
mournful occasion to speak some words 
which shall express fittingly the worth of 
his work, sir, I am oppressed with the multi- 
tude of thoughts that crowd upon me. I am 
painfully aware of my inability to say any- 
thing: which will enhance the name of a man 
whose faithful and distinguished service of 
more than a quarter of a century has already 
enshrined in the hearts of a grateful people 
an enviable and immortal memory. The rec- 
ord of that service is too long to be recited 
here — there is no time even to single out 
from the great multitude a few of the shin- 
ing results. 

I will call your attention to what I con- 
sider some of the traits of Senator Anthony's 



68 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

character, which were the foundation of his 
greatness and his worth. At a time when 
the quality of men's souls was tried to the 
utmost, when in the confusion and fiery swirl 
of impending war ; when the rude, strong 
hand of rebellion was clutching the throat of 
the nation — those days of swift transitions, 
of hot, passionate deeds, when the very fibre 
and texture of man's faith in republican in- 
stitutions Avas put to its severest tension — 
Senator Anthony stands in his place in the 
United States Senate, so strong, so brave, 
so eminently wise in counsel, surprising his 
most admiring friends by his equality with 
every emergency of the State as it arose, in 
the rush and whirl of events, never hurried 
from his balance. In emergencies that swept 
men into confusion, -the Senator stood firm, 
calm, alert, listening, analyzing, cool, (piick 
to detect what was the wise thing to be done, 
and having decided, he pushed it witli all 
the impassioned energy of heart and brain. 
I ask, sir, what was it that enabled our Sen- 



MR. Pendleton's remaekr. G9 

ator so unerringly to do the right thing, 
proving himself in times of panic and loud 
mouthed war, ''A pillar steadfast in the 
storm?" I should answer, sir, it was his 
fidelity to duty, which being exercised in the 
place to which he was called was a sacred 
sense of patriotism, and this sacred love of 
countr}^ runs through his Avhole public life 
and gives it almost an epical quality. And, 
sir, this splendid trait is strikingl}^ shown in 
the fact that when peace came it was found 
that he who had stood through the darkest 
hours of the war without once losinii- heart 
or hope, was free from those bitter and blind- 
ing feelings of animosity and of vengeance 
which war so commonly leaves behind it. 
His public acts after the war all through 
those trying and perplexing days of recon- 
struction bear upon them the unmistakable 
stamp of a l)road, wise and magnanimous 
statesmanship, which could emanate only 
from a heart and mind actuated by a deep 
and sacred love of country. 



70 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

Again, sir, it has been charged by some 
critics of Senator Anthony that he ncA^er 
originated any great measure of statecraft. 
How true this criticism may be I am not 
prepared to say, but one thing stands out 
in glittering glory through his long public 
career, and that is his almost perfect political 
insight. He possessed in an extraordinary de- 
gree the rare quality to know a good thing 
when it was presented, and he had the cour- 
age and ability to defend it, uphold it, and 
push it with a zeal and tact that went far 
towards compensating for the lack of the 
genius of originality. He not only listened 
to advice, but he had the rare gift to distin- 
guish and seek out those most competent to 
offer it. He could learn and profit by other 
minds. His judgment of a measure was so 
profoundly wise and right as to argue a qual- 
ity of statesmanship of greater value often 
than any quality of origination. 

" He that borrows the aid of an equal un- 
derstanding," said Burke, "doubles his own; 



MR. PENDLETON S REMARKS. 71 

he that uses that of a superior elevates his 
own to the stature of that he contemplates." 
When Shakspeare is charged with debts to 
his authors, Lander replies: ''Yet he was 
more original than his originals." It is Em- 
erson, I think, who says: "Next to the orig- 
inator of a good sentence is the first quoter 
of it." 

But, sir, our Senator was always equal to 
the need. He had a masterful good sense, 
which mastered the problems of the emer- 
gency ; and his clear comprehension of them 
as they grew proved him a man fitted to the 
event. It would be hard, sir, to exaggerate 
his worth. He was tested by heroic trials, 
lived still after many of the heroes, a heroic 
age raised up had passed away; a hero he 
stood to the end and now. 

Mr. Speaker, I cannot close without speak- 
ing of one other shining trait. If the Uni- 
ted States Senate ever had a member who 
was thoroughly incorruptible, who was proof 
against all bribes offered to vanity, prejudice 



72 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

and ambition, and selfish interest, and whom 
all the fairest and most tempting enticements 
of this world could not swerve or persuade 
into a dishonest action, that member was 
Henry B. Anthony — this integrity he prized 
above every earthly gift. It was the corner- 
stone on which his character was built, he 
consecrated it to the service of his State and 
nation — and, sir, when I think of all those 
days of such swift transitions, when men 
were speeding by such questionable ways 
to colossal wealth, of such passionate and 
al,)rupt changes of opinion, yet through it all 
he proved himself a man worthy and trusted, 
always holding to the right — I would say, 
instinctively doing the right thing. More 
than shrewd, he was sagacious. When I re- 
member that of all the votes he cast on pub- 
lic measures through all those years, I do not 
recall one of those votes now which, viewed 
in the light of mature thought, either his 
State or his warmest and clearest sighted 
friend could wish changed, or even think 



MR. freeman's remarks. 73 

unwise. I repeat, sir, when I think of all 
this, men are fallible, I know, but sir, Henry 
B. Anthony seems almost infallible in his 
judgment as a public servant, as attested in 
his voting for and support of public meas- 
ures, this is no chance or accident. It was 
a result of his unfaltering fidelity to duty, 
his keen insight and fine appreciation, his 
unswerving integrity. 

I cannot more fittingly close what I have 
to say than by using his own words on 
Charles Sumner: ''His eulogy is his life; 
his epitaph is the general grief; his monu- 
ment, builded by his own hands, is the eter- 
nal statutes of freedom." 



Mr. Edward L. Freeman, of Lincoln, made 



the following remarks : 



MR. FREEMAN S REMARKS. 

Mr. Speaker. — On the 2d of September last, 
at high noon, in the city that he loved, 



74 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

Henry Bowen Anthony, the senior Senator 
of the United States from Rhode Ishmd, 
peacefully fell on sleep. Though it had been 
known for months that his life would not 
probably be greatly prolonged, yet the an- 
nouncement came most unexpectedly and 
unwelcomely. As the sad tidings were whis- 
pered over the city, in the busy haunts of 
trade, in the halls of learning and of justice, 
in the domestic circle, there was one univer- 
sal expression of sorrow and regret. And 
as on the wings of the lightning the intelli- 
gence Avas carried throughout the length and 
breadth of the land, all that knew him felt 
that they had reason for sorrow. But it was 
in this his native State that his loss was most 
deeply felt and most sincerely mourned. 

I do not propose to attempt any eulogy 
upon his life and services to State or nation ; 
abler pens than mine have written of his 
career as journalist, his virtues as a citizen, 
his services as a statesman; more eloquent 
tongues than mine have spoken of his abil- 



MR. freeman's remarks. 75 

ity, his integrity, his high sense of honor in 
pubHc position, his constancy and truth in 
all the relations of life. I can, however, but 
add a word as to some of those qualities 
which especially endeared him to every one 
who loves our State. 

He held Rhode Island's honor and repu- 
tation much dearer than any personal consid- 
eration or interest. For many years, without 
near domestic ties, Rhode Island was to him 
wife and children ; the love and atfection that 
other men cherish for these nearest earthly 
friends, he lavished upon her. He could 
endure personal abuse, misrepresentation or 
assault without manifesting the slightest an- 
noyance ; but when the fair fame of his native 
State was attacked, or her institutions villi- 
fied, the lightning from the mountain cloud 
was not sw^ifter than his voice to speak in her 
defence, nor its stroke sharper than the bolts 
that he hurled at her assailants. Rhode Isl- 
and never had a more loyal son or an abler 
defender, and she may well mourn that he 



YD HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

has been taken away and that his voice will 
no longer guard her interests and defend her 
honor. 

" But strew his ashes to the wind, 
Whose sword or voice has served maukiiid ; 
And is he dead, whose glorious mind 

Lifts thine on liigh ? 
To live in hearts we leave behind 

Is not to die ! " 

One word of testimony to the faithfulness 
and constancy of his friendship. More than 
thirty years ago I first met Mr. Anthony. 
From that time till the day of his death I 
never received aught but kindness at his 
hand. Always courteous, always ready to 
grant an}^ favor that he consistently could, 
always prompt, even in the midst of his most 
arduous labors, to recognize the claims of the 
humblest of his constituents upon his time 
and attention, never on account of any dif- 
ference of wealth or rank, or station, presum- 
ing to slight or neglect any appeal from the 
poor or weak, is it any wonder that from city 



MR. BARNEFIELD S REMARKS. 'I'i 

and town, and village, and hamlet, all over 
our State, should come up the voice of sorrow 
and regret at his decease? 

Without the shadow of suspicion on his 
integrity or honor, through an unprecedented 
term of public service, his light has gone out. 
While there are many good, able and patri- 
otic men left in our State, it is no disparage- 
ment to them to say : 

" He was the noblest Roman of them all ; 
His life was gentle, and tlie elements 
So mixed in him, that nature might stand up 
And say to all the world, this was a man." 



Mr. Thomas P. Barnefield, of Pawtucket, 
spoke substantially as follows: 

MR. BARNEFIELD's REMARKS. 

Mr. Speaker. — It was never my privilege 
to know Senator Anthony with any degree 
of intimacy. And yet I may . say that my 
earlier recollections of him not only deeply 



78 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

impressed me, but have had an abiding influ- 
ence. 

I very well remember an afternoon quite 
early in our civil war, while I was a soldier 
in a Massachusetts regiment, I climbed the 
hill and the steps of the Capitol in Washing- 
ton for the first time. I was but a youth, 
and yet in my boyhood home I had been 
taught to revere the men in high places who 
were then true and loyal to the Union. A 
patriot was my highest conception of a noble 
man. As I looked upon one and another of 
the men whose names I had so often heard, 
and who then and afterwards bore burdens 
and performed labors which have never been 
estimated too highly, the Senator from Rhode 
Island stood prominently among the grand 
company. To look into their faces was an 
inspiration, and the memory of those scenes 
followed and encouraged me many times af- 
terwards, when the exposures in camp, the 
fatigue of long marching and the imminent 
dangers of battle made the young soldier 



MR. BARNEFIELD's REMARKS. 79 

count the cost of his love of country. This 
was the first time I saw Governor Anthony; 
but, from the spring of 1862 until the time of 
his death, I cherished the highest regard for 
him, and when, at the close of the war, I 
became a citizen of this State, his name and 
fame, like the fame and name of my former 
General, the lamented Burnside, were parts 
of the heritage which came to me by my 
change of residence. 

I have read with interest and profit much 
that was written and spoken by our deceased 
Senator; some of his shorter speeches, like 
the eloquent and fitting words with which 
he delivered to Massachusetts, the State of 
my birth, the remains of our honored Sum- 
ner, have been burned into my memory. I 
share, sir, the pride which we all so justly 
feel as we recall the long and brilliant career 
of Mr. Anthony. The reflected light of the 
honors which came to him so often and so 
deservedly, has shone upon his constituents 
and in turn honored the commonwealth 



80 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

which he so well represented. As a fond 
mother's heart beats high when her dear boy 
is crowned with laurel, so the people of Rhode 
Island had the highest gratification when her 
noble son received the plaudits of the nation. 
Mr. Speaker, I do not feel that I have 
added, or that I can add, anything to the ap- 
propriate eulogies Avhich have been so elo- 
quentl}?" pronounced by the gentlemen who 
have preceded me; but, sir, I could not re- 
frain from bringing my humble tribute to 
the memory of him whose loss I have keenly 
felt, and feel to-day, in common with all the 
people of our State. May he rest in eternal 
peace. 



The Speaker of the House, the Honorable 
Francello G. Jillson, of Woonsocket, closed 
the addresses of the day with the following- 
remarks : 



MR. SPEAKER JILLSON's REMARKS. 81 



MR. SPEAKER JILLSON S REMARKS. 

No words of mine can add character to 
the just and eloquent tributes which have 
been so gracefully and eloquently rendered to 
Rhode Island's distinguished Senator, whose 
death we sincerely mourn. The inspired and 
beautiful words which Senator Anthony used 
on the occasion of the death of Connecticut's 
honored Senator, Governor Buckingham, 
seem to fit so perfectly, and are so appli- 
cable to the spirit of the resolutions, that 
I will read a few selections upon this oc- 
casion : 

^'When the pale messenger lays his hand 
upon an accomplished life, a life that has 
rounded out the years which experience and 
inspiration assign as the desirable limit of 
human duration ; when these years have 
been occupied with usefulness, rewarded by 
success and crowned with honors ; when a 
good man, having discharged the duties and 



82 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

fulfilled the trusts of life, lies down, calmly 
and peacefully, to his final repose, we may 
grieve, but we cannot complain. The tears 
of affection may not, indeed, be kept back, 
but the voice of reason is silenced. To com- 
plain at the close of such a life is to complain 
that the ripened fruit drops from the over- 
loaded bough, that the golden harvest bends 
to the sickle ; it is to complain of the law of 
our existence, and to accuse the Creator that 
He did not make man immortal on the earth. 
For such a life eloquence shall lift her voice 
and poetry shall string her lyre. For such a 
man praise, honor, imitation; but not tears. 
Tears for hiiii who has failed; tears for him 
who fainted on the wayside ; not for him 
who finished the journey; tears for him who, 
through his fault or misfortune, omitted to 
employ the opportunities that were given to 
him for the work that was assigned to him, 
not for him who died when he had accomp- 
lished that for which he lived. 

"We will lament, therefore, in no com- 



MR. SPEAKER JILLSON's REMARKS. 8o 

plaining spirit for the man Avbose memory 
we celebrate to-day. With our grief that he 
has died shall be mingled our thankfulness 
that he has lived. The State that he served 
so faithfully and so well, in the time of her 
greatest emergency, proudly lifts his name 
and inscribes it on the roll of her honored 
and remembered sons. And the history of 
that State cannot be fairly written without 
honorable mention of his character and his 
services. The Senate, which he informed 
with Avise counsels, which he adorned with 
dignity of manners and with purity of life, 
bears equal testimony to his abilities and to 
his virtues, and equal honor to his memory." 



The Resolutions were then unanimously 
adopted by a rising vote, and the House, 
as a further mark of respect, forthwith ad- 
journed. 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE. 



The Resolutions were communicated to 
the Senate, on Wednesday, the fourteenth 
day of January, this being the anniversary 
of the election of Senator Anthony to the 
office of President of the Senate of the Uni- 
ted States, in the year 1884. After the read- 
ing of the Resolutions, the Hon. Benjamin 
T. Eames, of Providence, addressed the Sen- 
ate as follows : 

REMARKS OF SENATOR EAMES. 

M: President — Within the brief period of 
three years the State has been called upon to 
mourn the loss of two of its most prominent 
citizens. Burnside, wrapped in the flag he so 
bravely defended, quietly rests in a soldier's 



86 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

and patriot's grave. And now, while the 
grief for his sudden and untimely death is 
as fresh as if it had occurred but yesterday, 
"the silver cord is again loosed," and An- 
thony, after a service of more than a quarter 
of a century in the highest political trust in 
the gift of the State, has passed aAvay. The 
curtains again drop. The home and office of 
Senator Anthony are draped in mourning. 
The signal flag over the Journal building 
is at half-mast. The announcement of his 
death is passed Avith bated breath through 
the city and the State, and telegraphed over 
the country. A shadow crosses the threshold 
of every home in the State. The local press, 
in fitting words, recall his public services, 
and the leading papers of the country pay 
just tribute to his public virtues. The Presi- 
dent of the United States, his colleagues in 
the Senate, from distant States, the Governor 
of the State, and the members of the Gen- 
eral Assembly, the Mayor and City Council 
of the city of Providence, the Judges of the 



SENATOR EAMES' REMARKS. 87 

Supremo Court, the Board of Trade, the Pres- 
ident and Trustees of Brown University, and 
thousands of his fellow-citizens, from all parts 
of the State, join in the solemn and impres- 
sive ceremonies of his funeral service, and 
sorrowfully leave his mortal remains in their 
last resting place. 

This sad event calls for a pause as we enter 
upon the duties of the first session of the 
General Assembly after his decease, for the 
purpose of placing upon record, and giving 
expression to our high appreciation of the 
public services which he rendered to the 
State and the country. 

Senator Anthony was possessed in an emi- 
nent degree of the qualifications required for 
the efficient discharge of the duties of the 
responsible positions which he held. 

He was educated at Brown University, and 
under its excellent and thorough course of 
studies in the preparation of young men for 
professional and literary pursuits, he acquired 
that discipline and culture which enabled 



88 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

him to concentrate his rare intellectual gifts 
upon any subject presented for his considera- 
tion, and to give expression to his views in 
clear, terse and vigorous language. In this 
University he laid the foundation of the suc- 
cess which he achieved in after life. 

Graduating at an early age, and in doubt 
as to his pursuit in active life, he happily 
made choice of a profession Avhich was con- 
genial to his cultured tastes, and at the early 
age of twenty-three years assumed the re- 
sponsible position of editor of the leading 
public journal of the State. 

AVith clear and definite views of what such 
a paper should be, and how it should be con- 
ducted to secure influence and the public con- 
fidence, his purpose was to make the Journal 
a means of communicating accurate informa- 
tion of current events, to deal fairly with all 
questions of public interest, and, upon a true 
statement of facts, to enforce its position by 
reasons which would secure the approval and 
command the respect of its readers. In his 



SENATOR EAMES' REMARKS. 89 

early efforts in this direction, upon the ques- 
tion of suffrage, and a change of the existing 
government in 1841-2, he was called upon to 
grapple with the principles which lay at the 
foundation of a free government ; and the 
marked ability and good judgment with 
which he conducted the Journal in the dis- 
cussions of these Cj[uestions contributed ma- 
terially in securing their settlement in the 
transition of the government from the colo- 
nial charter to the existing constitution of 
the State. 

This service was fitly recognized in the pre- 
sentation to him by the citizens of the State 
of the silver salver, which recently, under 
his will, has })assed as an heirlooni to the 
Jottrnal 

His ability in that critical period in the 
history of the State, and afterwards in the 
conduct of the Journal as the political organ 
of the Whig party, brought his name promi- 
nently before the people, and in 1849 he was 
nominated for and was elected to the office of 



90 HENRY B, AXTHONY. 

Governor of the State. He held this office 
for two years. In the discharge of its dnties 
he acquired liis first experience in practical 
legislation, and an enviable reputation for 
the courtesy, impartiality and dignity with 
which he presided over the deliberations of 
the Senate. 

In 1859, he was elected United States Sen- 
ator, and held this office during the remain- 
der of his life. He brought to the discharge 
of the duties of this important public trust a 
highly cultivated intellect, a thorough knowl- 
edge of the people and interests of the State, 
the rich experience of public affairs which 
he had acquired in daily contact for twenty 
years as editor of the Journal in the discus- 
sion of the national questions of that period, 
and a familiarity with, and clear and definite 
opinions upon the great questions which at 
the time of his election were agitating the 
country, and threatening the unity and life 
of the republic; and thus equipped witli a 
clear perception of tlie importance and re- 



SENATOR EAMES REMARKS. 



01 



sponsibility of his office, he entered upon it 
with a sincere purpose to discharge its duties 
as a sacred public trust. 

His record shows with what ability, in- 
tegrity and fidelity he has discharged these 
duties during the long period of his service 
in the Senate. Called to the public service 
in the dark days of the republic, when seces- 
sion was openly threatened unless concessions 
were made upon the question of slavery, lie 
extended, so far as his convictions of duty 
would permit, the olive branch of peace in 
the hope of averting the dire calamities of 
civil war. But when armed rebellion made 
the attempt by force to disrupt the Union, 
he stood firmly by the government and ren- 
dered efficient service through the terrible 
conflict for its life. 

He was an active participant in and a part 
of the legislation of Congress in the adoption 
of the amendments to the constitution Avhich 
abolished slavery, secured the right of citi- 
zenship and the equal protection of the law 



92 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

to the new-born freedman, and conferred 
npon him the right to vote, and the legis- 
hition Avhich secured these rights, as well as 
that legislation which provided for the recon- 
struction of the vStates, pensions for soldiers 
and sailors disabled in the service, the reduc- 
tion of the public debt, the resumption of 
specie payment, the protection of American 
industry and labor, and other legislation of 
vital importance affecting the civil rights of 
the people and the material interests of the 
country. Upon all these questions the action 
of Senator Anthony received the general ap- 
proval of the citizens of the State. He was 
true to his own convictions of duty, to the 
principles of his party, and to the State and 
country. 

Faithful in the discharge of every duty of 
liis position, he was constant in his attend- 
ance upon the sessions of the Senate, and as 
a member of the Committee on Naval Affairs, 
and chairman of the Committee on Printing, 
he was careful and thorough in his consider- 



SENATOR EAMES' REMARKS. Do 

ation of all matters referred to these commit- 
tees. He was prompt in reply to all who 
addressed him upon matters of public con- 
cern or private interests, and I venture to 
say that no citizen of this State made a 
request of him upon any matter which re- 
lated to the duties of his office, which his judg- 
ment approved as right, with which, so far as 
in his power, he did not cheerfully comply. 
No breath of suspicion was ever cast dur- 
ing his long public life upon the integrity of 
his purpose, in the discharge of the duties 
of his high trust, to serve the best interests 
of the country and the State which he rep- 
resented. 

His ability, fidelity and integrity secured 
the confidence of his associates in the Sen- 
ate; his genial nature and dignified bearing 
their respect and good will; and these com- 
bined the prominent positions to which he 
was elected, and the influence which as Sen- 
ator he had in the deliberations and actions 
of the Senate. 



94 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

Although he seldom took an aetiYe part 
in the dehates upon the great questions dis- 
cussed in the Senate, his advice was sought 
upon all important subjects of legislation, 
and his judgment had its influence and 
weight in their determination. 

Upon any subject referred for the consider- 
ation and report of any committee of which 
lie was a member, he was fully prepared 
clearly to state the facts, and the reasons for 
his opinions, and he seldom failed to secure 
the approval of the Senate ; and upon any 
matter immediately affecting the special in- 
terests of the State, he was ready to give his 
reasons for the action which he asked; and 
whenever in the course of debate anything 
occurred which cast reproach upon, or in any 
way touched adversely the good name or 
lionor of the State, he was quick and prompt 
in reply. 

How keenly sensitive Senator x\nthony 
was in this respect is apparent, among many 
others, in his speech in 1861, in which he 



SENATOR EAMES' REMARKS. 95 

vindicated the claim of Rhode Island to 
having first realized in a civil government 
the great idea of religious libert}' ; in his 
address upon a resolution for the erection in 
the Capitol of the nation of an equestrian 
statue of Major General Nathanael Greene, 
and in that for an appropriation for the ex- 
penses incurred by the French government 
in renovating the inscription upon the mon- 
ument in the grounds of Trinity Church, at 
Newport, erected to the memory of Admiral 
De Ternay. The speeches of Senator An- 
thony upon these occasions are gems of pure 
English, expressed in words so fitly spoken 
that they are like ^' apples of gold in pic- 
tures of silver"; while his great speech in 
1881, ''The defence of Rhode Island," in 
its thorough consideration of the subject, its 
admirable and telling arrangement of facts, 
and the force and vigor of its logic exhausts 
everything that could be said in support of 
his views of the questions discussed. 

Senator Anthony held the high office to 



96 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

which he was first elected in 1859 for a 
longer period, with a single exception, than 
any Senator since the adoption of the Con- 
stitution, and longer than any other Senator 
from this State. The qualities which secured 
his prominent position, and his influence in 
the Senate, also secured his continuance in 
office. His ability and the experience he 
had accj[uired gave him a strong hold upon 
the people of the State, and he was elected 
to his fifth consecutive term with the general 
approval, and with a sincere desire that his 
life would be spared, not only for its full 
term, but would be continued, in the hope 
that, as a fitting crown to his public service, 
he would give to the country his recollec- 
tions of the distinguished men and of the 
stirring events which occurred during the 
period of his public service in the Senate. 
Such a memcmto in the easy and graceful 
expressions of his pen would not only have 
been interesting and instructive, but a fitting 
close of liis public life. 



SENATOR EAMES' REMARKS. 97 

Senator Anthony was master of the Eng- 
lish hxngnage. Clear, exact, terse and vigor- 
ous in its use, he seemed, as by instinct, to 
select the most appropriate words in giving 
expression to his thoughts. His speeches 
and memorial addresses, scattered here and 
there in the Congressional Record, sparkle like 
diamonds in the dim light of the surround- 
ings with which they are intermingled. 

In social life he was strongly attached to 
his friends, and he lost no opportunity to 
advance their interests. He was genial in 
disposition, courteous in address, and gen- 
tlemanly in bearing to all. A true son of 
Rhode Island in every impulse of his heart, 
he never failed to serve what he believed to 
be its interests to the best of his abilities; 
and in his positions of editor of the Journal 
and of Senator, he was a power in this State 
in moulding and directing its political affairs 
for a period of more than thirty years. 

But his work is done. It has been well 



k 



98 HENEY B. ANTHONY. 

done. His portrait in this hall as Governor 
of the State, is draped in mourning. 

" The vital spirit has fled 
To retiiiu no more to Avake the silent dead." 

His genial face and manly form have passed 
from our sight; but his memory will abide, 
and his public services will be remembered 
long after his body shall have mingled with 
its kindred dust. He now quietly rests in 
yonder cemetery by the side of the chosen 
companion of his life, whose early death cast 
a shadow over his path in after life, and 
whose spirit we may hope he has now met 
in that other life, where there is no parting, 
in the blessed realization that, 

' ' Beyond this vale of tears 

" There is a life above, 
" Unmeasured by the flight of years ; 

" And all that life is love." 

As the representative here of the city of 
his residence, with a sincere regret of my 
inability to pay a more fitting tribute to his 



SENATOR METCALF S REMARKS. 



99 



memory, I ''cast this pt'l)l)lo on the cairn" 
of tlie dead Senator, who in life loved his 
native State so well, and served it so faith- 
fully. 

" May be rest iu peace." 



Hon. Henry B. Metcalf, of Pawtucket, then 
said : 

SENATOR METCALf's REMARKS. 

3Ir. President. — He would be indeed a bold 
man who should assume his ability to make 
any important contribution to Rhode Island's 
already noble monument in memory of her 
distinguished son, and yet I doubt not that I 
express the sentiment of every Senator pres- 
ent in the wish to participate, by even a 
slight tribute, in the honor so justly paid to 
the life record of Henry B. Anthony. 

As a citizen of Rhode Island, he was for 
more than forty years identified with the 
wisest and best of her policy and legislation. 



100 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

Adopting his own words concerning the life 
work of an honored citizen of a sister State, 
we may well say of Senator Anthony: "The 
State that he served so faithfully and well in 
the time of our greatest emergency, proudly 
lifts his name and inscribes it on the roll of 
her honored and remembered sons. And the 
history of that State cannot l)e fairly written 
without honorable mention of his character 
and services." 

Called to the Senate of the United States 
in the most momentous and critical period 
of our nation's history, he l)ore well his part 
as the nation's servant. Enjoying the associ- 
ation, cooperation and respect of such men as 
Sumner, Wilson, Douglas, Fessenden, Hamlin, 
Hale, Seward, Chandler, Crittenden, Wade, 
Collamer, Preston King and Simon Came- 
ron, and, during the early portion of his 
Senatorial career, with such antagonists as 
Jefferson Davis, Toombs, Slidell, Mason and 
Benjamin, his Senatorial life was indeed a 
notable one. 



SENATOR METCALF's REMARKS. 10 1 

His record for official faithfulness, consist- 
ency and integrity has never been impeaclied, 
and ahhough he was an earnest partisan, he 
hehl the confidence and respect aUke of friend 
and antagonist. An intense political oppo- 
nent has said of him: 

"Perhaps there was no man in the Senate, 
during the twenty-five years that he was a 
member of it, from whose political opinions 
we more radically dissent than from his. 
But we have always entertained the highest 
respect for his dignity, uprightness and lofty 
standard of official conduct. He was a states- 
man with old-fashioned notions of integrity 
and propriety, and passed through the temp- 
tations of his position without reproach." 

In the highest and best sense was he em- 
phatically a man of the people. Although 
far removed from everything like a spirit of 
sycophancy, to all classes was his counsel 
available. Independent and decided in his 
opinions and action, he yet ever welcomed 
the opinions and advice of others. As a 



102 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

controversialist, especially in the line of the 
profession which he so adorned, his sword 
was perhaps more ready to thrust than to 
parry. It was a keen blade which demanded 
and secured respect, but its grasp Avas that of 
conscience and honor. 

Prominent among his distinguishing traits 
should be named his love for his native State 
and his zealous Avatclifulness of her good name 
and her interests. In her behalf he seemed 
to think of himself as only her servant, while 
he sought and highly prized her approval. 
My last call upon him in Washington was an 
extremely sad one. On the day preceding he 
had been elected to the Presidency of the Sen- 
ate, A\diich office he was unable to accept be- 
cause of physical Aveakness. The uppermost 
thought in his mind seemed to be of anxiety 
lest the people of Rhode Island might not 
approA^e his action in declining the office. 
But it Avas painfully apparent that the ex- 
perience of the preceding day was to him 
the premonition of the closing of what had 



SENATOR METCALF's REMARKS. 103 

been exceedingly happy relations to a people 
whom he loved. 

As we think of Senator Anthony and his 
life, we find many of his own words almost 
inseparable from a true expression of our 
feelings, or the suggestion of our ideas. Of 
William Pitt Fessenden he said: "It is the 
i^eneral fortune of eminent public men to be 
greatly slandered in life and to be unduly 
eulogized in death." But as we read and 
reread the words of love and respect that 
have been written and uttered because of the 
death of Senator Anthony, and after, by the 
lapse of time, the impulsiveness of our sor- 
row has been softened, I think you will 
agree with me that the words of adulation 
have been almost remarkably free from 
extravagance, and that the words of eulogy 
will be largely adopted as those of his- 
tory. 

The words of Senator Anthony in closing 
his eloquent tribute to the memory of Charles 
Sumner may well be revived now that the 



104 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

eulogist's place lias in turn l)een vacated, and 
his own armor laid doAvn. He said : 

"When I look back over this long period, 
crowded with great events, and which has 
witnessed the convulsion of the nation, the 
reorganization and reconstruction of our po- 
litical system ; when in my mind's eye, I 
people this chamber with those whose forms 
have been ftimiliar to me, whose names, 
many of them historical, have been labelled 
on these desks, and are now carved on the 
marble that covers their dust, I am filled 
wuth a sadness irrepressible, yet full of con- 
solation. For, musing on the transitory 
nature of all suljlunary things, I come to 
perceive that their instability is not in their 
essence, but in the forms which they assume 
and in the agencies that operate upon them; 
and when I recall those whom I have seen 
fall around me, and whom I thought neces- 
sary to the success, almost to the preserva- 
tion of great principles, I recall also those 
whom I have seen step into the vacant 



SENATOR Wilbur's remarks. 105 

places, put on the armor which they wore, 
Hft the weapons which they wiekled, and 
march on to the consummation of the work 
which they inaugurated — and thus I am 
tilled with reverent wonder at the benefi- 
cent ordering of nature, and inspired with 
a loftier faith in that Almighty Power, with- 
out whose guidance and direction all human 
etf'ort is vain, and with whose blessing the 
humblest instruments that He selects are 
eipial to the mightiest work that He de- 



Hon. George A. Wilbur, of Woonsocket, 
next addressed the Senate : 

SENATOR Wilbur's remarks. 

Mr. President. — After listening to the elo- 
quent words wdiich have been uttered in 
praise of the late Senator Anthony, I do not 
believe that I shall be justified in breaking 



106 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

the spell which their truth and their heauty 
have produced upon us; still, I desire in a 
few words to bear testimony with others to 
his worth and character. 

I cannot claim, as others may, an intimate 
acquaintance with Governor Anthony, but in 
common with the people of Rhode Island I 
knew of him ; knew him as they knew him, 
by his high and exalted position, by the 
faithfulness with which he discharged the 
duties of his office, by his reputation for 
honesty and integrity, Ijy the hjve he bore 
to his native State, and by the alacrity and 
power with which he asserted her rights and 
defended her honor. I know of him as the 
expounder of our Constitution, and the cham- 
pion of the rights guaranteed by that instru- 
ment to us. 

Mr. Anthony was elected five consecutive 
times to the United States Senate, and for 
more than twenty-five years he represented 
Rhode Island in that bod}^, entering it when 
but forty-four years of age, and continuing 



SENATOR Wilbur's remarks. 107 

a meml)er until September, 1(S(S4, when he 
died, having lived the alloted time of man. 

" In toil he lived, in peace he died, 
When life's full cycle was complete, 
Put off his robes of power and pride, 
And laid thorn at his Master's feet." 

He was the oldest Senator in time of ser- 
vice as such, and was known as the father of 
the Senate, from the pine clad hills of Maine 
to the golden gates of California. 

He was three times elected President j^ro 
tempore of the Senate, which ofhce he filled 
with distinguished ability, and with the dig- 
nity due the exalted position. 

Advancing years and tailing health warned 
him of the danger of over-exertion, so that 
one vear aeo to-dav he declined to accept the 
high office to which the Senate had elected 
him again, though he knew that by accept- 
ing that office he would be virtually the Vice- 
President of the United States, an office I 
believe no Rhode Islander ever held. 

During all these years of arduous labor for 



108 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

US, he was ever true to his State, his country 
and to himself; conspicuous for his assiduity, 
for his gentlemanly bearing, and for the abil- 
ity which he possessed in so eminent a de- 
gree. His acknowledged ascendancy in the 
Senate was second to none. For this reason 
he was often sought and his influence solic- 
ited for some act, measure or thing. On all 
proper occasions he granted these requests ; 
his gentle heart would forbid a refusal. 

When, after the lapse of years, the impar- 
tial historian shall record the history of our 
country during the quarter of a century just 
past, he will write no brighter, purer, fairer 
name among the statesmen of our land than 
that of Henry B. Anthony. I have heard 
so much of the liberality of our dead Sen- 
ator, of his gifts to the poor, and his kind- 
nesses to the unfortunate, that I had almost 
come to know charity by its synonym, Hen- 
ry B. Anthony. 

His efforts in behalf of the soldiers of our 
own and other States, when disabled by dis- 



SENATOR Wilbur's remarks. 109 

ease, are well known in every hamlet and 
village of our State. I knew of a Massachu- 
setts soldier to whom he gave some money 
in this city, a sum much larger than was 
required to take the poor fellow home. I 
know of another case where a Rhode Island 
soldier, having contracted some disease in the 
service which incapacitated him from per- 
forming his duty applied for a discharge, and 
much to his disgust it was denied him. The 
soldier's mother, wdio was with him, said she 
would see Mr. Anthony about it, for she 
knew that her son would die unless he was 
taken home to the scenes of his childhood. 
She saw Senator Anthony, Avho at once took 
pains to have the case investigated. A few 
days later the soldier was discharged. He is 
now in receipt of a pension from the govern- 
ment. The recital of such instances might 
be indefinitely multiplied, and yet we should 
not know all, for he did not parade his acts 
of charity and kindness before the world. 
After all that we have heard recently of 



110 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

tlie character of some men, who have held 
hi,iih places in Washington, it haylly seems 
possible for a man in that city to become 
conspicuous and retain his character for hon- 
esty, yet Senator Anthony did, for he was an 
honest man. He always acted upon princi- 
ple and never from impulse. We have no 
knowledge that any man ever dared to ask 
his services in the furtherance of any im- 
proper scheme. I believe that they dreaded 
his anger and feared his power. No word 
or whisper against his character was ever 
breathed ; no word uttered by him which 
would compromise his dignity. No question 
was ever raised as to his ability or faithful- 
ness in the performance of his duty. 

With the aid of that power which con- 
scious ability and honesty always bestows, he 
went on year after year laboring for us and 
paying us back in the services he rendered a 
thousand fold for the honors conferred upon 
him by his native State. 

" Let others liail tlie rising sun 
I bow to him -whose course is run." 



SENATOR Wilbur's remarks. Ill 

At the last Republican Convention called 
to nominate State officers, a resolution was 
introduced, congratulating him upon his res- 
toration to health and his resumption of 
official duties. It became my pleasant duty, 
as Chairman of that Convention, to transmit 
a copy to him, which I did at once. A few 
days later I received an acknowledgment 
from him, in which he said: "I receive 
with deep sensibility this mark of the favor 
of the constituency which I have served for 
more than a quarter of a century. 

"In looking back through all that period 
of my unconspicuous but not unfaithful ser- 
vice, if I find that I have not, like many 
of my predecessors and contemporaries, done 
anything to add lustre to the annals of the 
State, I can truly say that I have not been 
wanting in the fidelity, disinterestedness and 
zeal with which I have borne the high com- 
mission intrusted to my hand. This evi- 
dence of the favor which has followed me 
in all this time would be a sufficient reward 



112 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

for much more distinguished service than I 
have been able to perform." 

Here speaks the man, the citizen and the 
statesman, and here also speaks his pride of 
character, which tells to us in his own words 
his object and aim in official life, which was 
to serve his State and country faithfully, and, 
when his days were at an end, to give back 
the high commission which the State had be- 
stowed upon him unsullied and unstained by 
any unworthy act of his. 

''Anthony, they say that you are dead. 
You are not dead. We will love you while 
the State lives, and not while the State lives 
will you be dead in our hearts." 



Hon. Z. Herbert Gardiner, of Exeter, spoke 
as follows : 

SENATOR Gardiner's remarks. 

Mr. Preddent. — I beg leave to trespass upon 
the time of the Senate to add a few words of 



SENATOR Gardiner's remarks. 113 

tribute to the memory of a departed friend, 
and in support of the resolution now under 
consideration. My acquaintance with the 
late Senator Anthony was brief and not 
very intimate, having first the honor of his 
acquaintance in the year 1879, when first a 
member of the lower house. Being intro- 
duced to him by a friend one day, in his 
room in the Journal office, he at once began 
that agreeable conversation, easy manner, 
and fatherly bearing, that I soon began to 
feel that he was as much a friend of the 
''country boy" as to those in higher walks 
of life. I met him but seldom after that, 
but when I did I found him the same pleas- 
ant, agreeable man. His fame and influence 
through the columns of the Journal reached 
to nearly every household in the State, and 
when the news of his death came we all felt 
that we had met with a public and personal 
loss. He was indeed a remarkable man ; no 
other but such a man could have been 
elected five times in succession to the Uni- 



114 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

ted States Senate, his being the second in- 
stance in the histoiy of this country in that 
respect. And also elected thrice to preside 
over the deliberations of that august body, 
showing to what extent his worth was helci 
by his associates. And all this in one of the 
most critical periods in our country's his- 
tory. 

And it seems to us that he is taken from 
us at a time when he is most needed, when 
the questions are impending that he best 
could grapple, when the problems are pre- 
sented that he best could solve. We look 
around for those who shall fill his place. 
But there is One who doeth all things well. 
In the order of His providence it is not per- 
mitted for any place to long remain vacant. 
Whomever He takes. He raises up others to 
fill the void that is left. So it was with 
Sumner, so it was with Burnside, so it will 
be with Anthony ; and so, Mr. President, 
long distant be the day, will it be with you, 
with others, our Avisest and best. Men die. 



SENATOR Gardiner's remarks. 115 

but their words are left on record, their 
works remain, their example survives. 

In looking over some of the eulogies de- 
livered by the late Senator upon the death 
of some of the most distinguished men of 
the country, none seems to me to more strik- 
ingly resemble his than the words he spoke 
in his eulogy on the life and public services 
of Hon. Henry Wilson, late Vice-President 
of the United States, and I will close by 
reading them : 

"And home he had none. No man shared 
more largely in the affections of the Ameri- 
can people. No man was more beloved by 
his immediate constituency; but tliose pleas- 
ures which the greatest of orators placed 
above all other immeasurable blessings of 
rational existence, above the treasures of sci- 
ence and the delights of learning, and the 
aspects of nature, even above good govern- 
ment and religious liberty, ' the transcendent 
sweets of domestic life,' were no more for 
him. Those relations which nature intended 



116 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

for the joy and rapture of our youth, for the 
happiness and the embellishment of our ma- 
turer years, for the comfort and consolation 
of age, had been severed by the remorseless 
shears of fate. No eye grew brighter when 
he raised the latch that held his lonely dwel- 
ling ; no outstretched arms of wife, no ringing 
laughter of children, welcomed his returning 
footsteps when he crossed the threshold over 
which all that had given life and joy and 
beauty to that simple abode, and had lighted 
it up with a glory not of palaces, had been 
borne never to return. He had nothing left 
to love but his country. It was proper that 
from yonder Chamber to which the suffrages 
of his fellow-citizens had carried him, he was 
borne to his final place of rest. Tender 
and loving hands received him; friends and 
neighbors, who loved him because he was 
good, even more than they admired him 
because he was great, stood tearfully around 
his open grave. And there, with swelling 
hearts, but with unfaltering trust in the 



SENATOR BURRINGTOn's REMARKS. 117 

eternal promises of God, they laid his manly 
and stalwart form to mingle with the dust of 
his kindred." 



Hon. John C. Burrington, of Barrington, 
addressed the Senate as follows : 

SENATOR BURRINGTON 'S REMARKS. 

Mr. President — I did not expect when I 
entered this chamber this morning to take 
any part in the eulogies now offered here, 
preferring to leave that to those who had 
known Senator Anthony more intimately, 
and were far better prepared to present the 
eloquent testimonials of his life and char- 
acter to which we have now been listeners. 
My acquaintance with him began but a lit- 
tle while ago, when, upon entering somewhat 
into political life, we were brought sometimes 
together, and I came to learn more of the 
man than ever before, and to know how 
much he loved the people and the institu- 



118 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

tions of his native State. We have all seen 
how ably he has at all times defended her 
whensoever and howsoever assailed; I most 
heartily concur in everything that has been 
so ably said in his praise by those who have 
preceded me, and gladly avail myself of the 
opportunity to add a word to these testimo- 
nials of respect and regard for the deceased 
Senator. I move the passage of the resolu- 
tions. 



Hon. John Winsor, of Coventry, spoke as 
follows : 

SENATOR WINSOr's REMARKS. 

3Ir. President. — Representing as I do in this 
honorable body the town of Senator Antho- 
ny's birth and where he passed the earlier 
years of his life, I have thought that it might 
not be inappropriate, and perhaps might be 
expected by the citizens of my town, that I 
should attempt to say a fcAV words in remem- 



SENATOR WINS(JR's REMARKS. 119 

brance of their most honored son, whatever 
my own misgivings might be regarding my 
ability to do justice to so sad and delicate a 
duty. After listening to the eloquent eulo- 
o-ies delivered by other members of this Sen- 
ate, I feel that I can do little else than reiter- 
ate and endorse their sentiments. Many of 
you who are older, and have had the pleasure 
of a longer and more intimate acquaintance 
with Senator Anthony than I, are better pre- 
pared with reminiscences to deliver fitting 
encomiums. Senator Anthony was born in 
the viUage of Anthony, in the town of Cov- 
entry. The house in which he was born still 
stands upon the pleasant site on which it was 
builded. In this house, venturing from his 
mother's knee to the nearest object within 
his grasp for support, he took the first steps 
of his life, but how short and feeble were 
those steps compared with the strides of his 
political career in later life. The old school- 
house, where the rudiments of learning were 
first breathed into his mind, still exists, and, 



120 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

ornamenting one corner of the village, stands 
the old " Friends Meeting House," where Sab- 
bath after Sabbath he was led by devout 
parents to listen to the teachings of divine 
inspiration. In this village, frolicking upon 
the green, in shade and sunshine, inspiring 
the salubrious air known only to country 
towns, with good hygienic surroundings 
and an ample supply of all that conduces 
to physical growth, there was developed a 
strong and vigorous constitution. Upon this 
depended largely the success which he after- 
wards achieved, for, as a rule, there can be 
no great mental development, activity and 
endurance without a strong physical organ- 
ization to support it. It was in this village 
also, that the love of home was impressed 
upon his developing nature, and remained 
through life a marked characteristic of the 
man. 

After the labors of a weary session of Con- 
gress he would retrace his steps to this city, 
and after greeting a few friends and obtain- 



SENATOR WINSOR's REMARKS. 121 

ing a little needed rest, would resume his 
journey to the hearthstone of his childhood, 
there to live over again those happy days, 
which were as fresh in the archives of his 
memory as though they had transpired but 
yesterday, and I have no doubt that many 
an hour in the city of Washington, Avhich 
otherwise would have hung heavily upon 
him, was passed like a pleasant dream, in 
the reversions of his memory to happy in- 
cidents and associations connected with his 
boyhood. His return to this city from his 
labors in the National Congress was simply 
a return to the home of his adoption, where 
he greeted friends, acquaintances and asso- 
ciates, but his return to Coventry was more 
like the return of a long-absent son to the 
arms of his parents, brothers and sisters, and 
to the hospitalities of his old home. And 
while the city of Providence might have 
been considered his home, yet there was one 
spot in this State which was dearer to him 
than all others, across which was written in 



122 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

golden letters the word "Home." That spot 
was tlie villaL;e of Anthony, in tlie town of 
Coventry. Rliode Island at large may elaim 
him for its son, l)ut the people of Coventry 
enter a i)rior and original claim, for among 
them he was born, by them he was rocked in 
the cradle of his infancy, his boyhood Avas 
passed among them, and they watched with 
the care and anxiety of tlie proudest i)arent 
the tender bud. wliich was destined to de- 
velop into a flower of rarest genius. 

The announcement that Senator Antho>y 
would be in Coventry on a certain day or 
evening to deliver an address upon whatever 
subject was a signal which rallied its citizens 
and gave him a crowded house. They loved 
to hear him speak, and they loved to gaze 
upon that countenance, radiant and flushed 
with the memories which rushed upon his 
mind. He always spoke in the most elo- 
quent and tender words of the attractions 
those hills and valleys, rocks and rills, ponds 
and meadows had for him, and of the pleas- 



SENATOR WINSOR's REMARKS. 123 

lire he derived in being among them. Dur- 
ing the delivery of his last address to the 
people of Coventry he said that, as age crept 
upon him, his heart and thoughts Avere more 
and more with them, and it seemed fitting, 
and in consonance with his feelings that 
there "he should let his anchor drop, where 
first his pennon flew," words full of mean- 
ing, and almost prophetic. On occasions like 
this, it is well remembered how affectionately 
he would greet the surviving friends of his 
early years, how tenderly he would speak of 
those who had passed away, and then in 
broken voice speak of the little graveyard in 
the bend of the river at C^entreville, where 
the dust of his own kindred repose, repeating 
with a cadence none could Hsten to unmoved, 
those lines of Holmes — 

" The mossy marbles rest, 
On the lips that I have prest 

In their bloom, 
And the names I love to hear. 
Have been carved for many a year 
On the tomb." 



124 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

Of his wide and useful public career, it is 
not my purpose to speak ; that has been most 
fittingly and eloquently done by those who 
have preceded me. It was simply to say 
a homely word of the affection which he 
always had for his native town, and the 
kindly regard in which he was held in turn 
by them, that prompted the few words I 
have spoken. No more than this shall I at- 
tempt to do, and I could not well do less. 

Mr. President, I move that the Senate con- 
cur with the House in the adoption of the 
resolutions by a rising vote. 



On rising to take the vote on the adoption 
of the resolutions. His Excellency Governor 
Bourn, as presiding officer of the Senate, then 
made the following address : 

GOVERNOR bourn's ADDRESS. 

Before the question is put on the resolu- 
tions, I ask the indulgence of the Senate for 



GOVERNOR bourn's ADDRESS. 125 

a few minutes — not that I may add to the 
words of the Senators who have addressed 
you ; not that our grief may be assuaged or 
our sorrow measured by words, but that I 
may join with you in a tribute of respect and 
affection to the honored dead. When I real- 
ize how heavily the hand of affliction has 
been laid upon us ; how often the Senate has 
been called upon to mourn the loss of Rhode 
Island's noblest sons, and of those for whom 
the nation has wept, I am appalled at the 
measure of our loss. Death has indeed 
reaped a glorious harvest, and Rhode Isl- 
and has contributed her full share to swell 
his already overflowing garners. Never be- 
fore in our recollection have we been so sadly 
afflicted. 

The names of Burnside and Garfield, Whit- 
comb and Tobey and Lapham, Danielson and 
Anthony, bring to our minds men whose ser- 
vices to the nation have been conspicuous, or 
who have been identified with the history of 
the State for upwards of a quarter of a cen- 



126 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

turv. It seems but yesterday that we met in 
this chamber and marched to yonder church 
to take part in the last sad rites in memory 
of Burnside — our beloved Burnside, stricken 
with scarcely a moment's warning, while 
watching and praying with us at the bedside 
of a dying President. And when in one 
short week we lost l)oth Burnside and Gar- 
field we thought that our affliction was more 
than we could bear. And then, one after 
another, tliere passed from among us Wliit- 
comb and Tobey and Lapham, like autumn 
leaves before a withering blast. With the 
name of Anthony we instinctively associate 
one who was long his partner and friend, 
who wielded the pen of a ready writer, whose 
vigorous mind impressed itself as much, per- 
haps, as any other on the politics and insti- 
tutions of Rhode Island, and who, when 
Anthony was stricken with a mortal disease, 
seemed, in the prime of manhood, able to 
continue for many j^ears the work to which 
he had devoted his life. But alas for human 



GOVERNOR bourn's ADDRESS. 127 

calculations, the summons came to Danielson 
many months before the Angel of Death took 
the gentle spirit of Anthony back to God who 
gave it. Hoping against hope, we prayed 
that Anthony might be spared to serve his 
State and country, but ''God's finger touched 
him and he slept." 

A grateful State cannot better show its 
appreciation of his services than by placing 
these resolutions among its archives. It is 
no empty honor that we may thus confer on 
his name. The history of the past is but a 
record of the lives and actions of the great 
men of every age — of men of great thoughts 
and noble deeds — of men who dared to fight 
and to die in defence of a just cause — of men 
who moulded laws and institutions — of men 
renowned in peace and in war. Search where 
we will — in the shadowy depths of antiquity 
— in the records of those mighty empires 
tliat ruled the ancient world — in the strug- 
gles of the dark ages between Paganism and 
Christianity, between barbarism and civiliza- 



128 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

tion — in the social and moral elevation of 
the people and in the development of mod- 
em nations — and we will find naught else in 
history. The history of the present will be 
known to posterity only by the fame of our 
great men that we shall preserve and trans- 
mit to them. 

" Who then shall say that Fame 

Is but au empty name, 
When but for these, the mighty dead 

All ages past a blank would be — 
Sunk in oblivion's murky bed — 

A desert bare — A shipless sea." 

Perhaps no man in recent times was bet- 
ter known to the people of Rhode Island 
than Senator Anthony, none more highly 
respected. Almost his entire active life was 
spent in the city of Providence, and to serve 
her, the State, and the nation, he freely gave 
his time and his abilities. He was for many 
years the editor of the chief newspaper in 
the State — a most responsible position — for 
two years Governor of the State, and elected 



GOVERNOR bourn's ADDRESS. 129 

as Senator for thirty years in the Senate of 
the United States. Whatever position he oc- 
cupied was graced by the faithfuhiess and the 
conscientiousness with which he filled it. 

But it is not my intention to dwell upon 
his life and services, or to enlarge on his pri- 
vate virtues. That duty has been done far 
better than I can do it. I feel, however, that 
I must speak very briefly concerning his Sen- 
atorial term, which extended over one of the 
most important periods of our history. At 
its beginning the country had, for a number 
of years, been agitated over the attempt to 
carry slavery into the Territories which had 
been solemnly dedicated to freedom, and 
which are now inhabited by millions of free, 
industrious and intelligent people. The Re- 
publican party had been defeated in its first 
national campaign ; but the determination of 
the North that slavery should not be carried 
into the Territories caused the agitation to be 
continued with increasing force until it cul- 
minated in the election of 1860 and the seces- 

17 



130 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

sion of the South in 1861. Then came the 
rebellion — with its four years of war on the 
most gigantic scale — in which the resources 
of both North and South Avere taxed to their 
utmost, a war that had for its object the de- 
struction of the Union and the foundation of 
a State with shivery as the only object of its 
existence. But by the Grace of God we were 
enabled not only to preserve our Union, but 
to destroy that cursed institution tliat had 
been the cause of all our national discord. 
Then followed the period of the reconstruc- 
tion of the South, in Avhich the problems to 
be solved were the most perplexing that 
statesmen ever had to deal Avith; and then 
came a period of rest — of growth — during 
which the country increased beyond all con- 
ception, in Avealth, power and population. 

During the Avliole of this eventful period 
Senator Anthony took an active and im})ort- 
ant part in all the questions that came to be 
determined by Congress. In the darkest days 
of the Avar he never faltered in his allegiance 



GOVERNOR BOURN S ADDRESS. 



131 



to the cause of the Union— never swerved 
from the strict line of duty — never for a mo- 
ment doubted the success of our arms and 
the restoration of the Union. And when the 
war was over and peace once more prevailed 
throughout the land, no one was more ready 
to take our Southern brethren by the hand — 
no one more anxious to remove the last rem- 
nants of sectional discord. 

It is impossible to think of those times in 
connection with his services without l)ring- 
ing before us those great and noble spirits 
who, with Anthony, labored so faithfully 
for their country. We rememl)er Lincoln, 
the great, the good, the true, who will ever 
be revered by posterity as the master spirit 
that controlled our destinies — who fills a 
martyr's grave, dying as truly for his coun- 
try as those who fell on the field of battle; 
and Seward, who amid the perils that beset 
us from within and without, so skillfully 
conducted our foreign and our domestic 
affairs; and Stanton, whose genius brought 



132 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

into existence those mighty armies that will 
ever be the wonder of men ; and Sumner, 
whose great talents w^ere devoted to bringing 
freedom to the slave, and who was willing to 
die rather than cease the agitation that liber- 
ated from bondage four millions of human 
beings; and Garfield, the soldier, the states- 
man, the patriot, the martyr; and Burnside, 
loved alike by the nation, his soldiers and Ijy 
all who knew him, wdio served with equal 
ability on the field of battle and in the halls 
of Congress ; and scores of others whose fame 
is enshrined in the hearts of a loving people. 
But we may not now recall them all. The 
many went before him, the few that remain 
will soon follow him. 

Although elected to the second highest 
place in the gift of the nation. Senator An- 
thony never "sought what men call glory." 
He sought rather to serve his country by 
a quiet, dignified, continuous application to 
duty; and in this he was rewarded with the 
love and esteem of his fellow Senators and 



GOVERNOR bourn's ADDRESS. 138 

the respect of all. In grateful recognition of 
his long and valuable services we will enroll 
his name among those the State delights to 
honor. And when the future historian shall 
write of the tr^dng scenes in which he took a 
prominent part — of those who served with 
equal fidelity their State and their nation — 
of the institutions of Rhode Island, he will 
find no brighter example, no truer represent- 
ative than Henry B. Anthony. 



The Resolutions were then by a rising vote 
unanimously adopted in concurrence, and the 
Senate as a further token of respect forthwith 
adjourned. 



PROCEEDINGS 



TUB COlffiS OF THE EIW STATES, 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE UNITED STATES SENilTE. 



Washington, January 19, 1885. 

The Senate having under consideration 
the following resolutions offered by Hon. 
Nelson W. Aldrich: 

Resolved, That the Senate has lieard with profound 
sorrow of the death of Henry B. Anthony, late a Senator 
from the State of Rhode Island. 

Resolved, That the business of the Senate be now 
suspended, to enable his associates to pay proper tribute 
of regard to his liigh character and distinguished public 
services. 

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate commu- 
nicate these resolutions to the House of Representatives. 

Resolved, That, as an additional mark of respect to 
the memory of the deceased, the Senate do now adjourn. 



138 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

REMARKS BY" SENATOR ALDRICH. 

J/r. President. — He who was here the senior 
in service, and first in the affections of his 
associates, rests in 

The lone couch of his everlastiug sleep. 

His great heart with all its attractive qual- 
ities has ceased to beat. His stalwart form, 
so recently instinct with strength and life, is 
crumbling in the dust. 

He who has so often lighted up with the 
touches of his matchless eloquence the char- 
acter of others is no more. Oppressed by a 
sense of personal loss which is beyond ex- 
pression, and by the sorrow of separation 
from a wise counselor and faithful friend, I 
despair of rightly interpreting the story of 
his honorable life and rendering an adequate 
tribute of praise to his memory. 

Henry Bowen Anthony was born at Cov- 
entry, R. I., April 1, 181e5. His ancestors 
had for more than a century and a half re- 



REMARKS BY SENATOR ALDRICH. 139 

sided on Rhode Island soil. His father, Wil- 
liam Anthony, and his maternal grandfather, 
James Greene, were Quakers. His father was 
a cotton manufacturer, and the establishment 
of which he was manager was the third of 
its kind erected in the State. 

William Anthony was a man of strong 
character, greatly respected by his neighbors, 
and it is easy to trace the influence of his 
wise teachings and Avatchful care in the 
future character of the son. The lattfer was, 
in his early life, imbued with the doctrines 
of the Society of Friends which left their 
impress on his nature, developing that gen- 
tleness of manner and love of peaceful meth- 
ods, that strict integrity and conscientious 
devotion to duty, which were the most strik- 
ing traits of his character. 

He received a preparatory education in a 
private school at Providence and entered 
Brown University in 1829. At college he 
had the benefit of the teachings of the dis- 
tinguished Dr. Wayland, then president of 



140 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

the university. After his graduation, in 
1833, he entered the office of his ])rother 
in Providence with the intention of engag- 
ing with him in the business of manufactur- 
ing. He remained there five years, spending, 
however, a portion of liis time in the prose- 
cution of his business at Savannah, Ga. At 
tliis time he was a casual contributor to news- 
papers and magazines; and a poem written 
by him during his stay in Savannah attracted 
considerable attention. We can readily im- 
agine that he found literary work more con- 
genial to his tastes than the exacting demands 
of a business life. 

Mr. Anthony first became connected with 
pu])lic affairs as a journalist. In 1838, at the 
age of twenty-three, without previous train- 
ing, except as an occasional contributor of 
literary articles, he assumed the editorial 
charge of the Providence Journal. He ac- 
cepted the position at the request of a 
kinsman, who was then the proprietor of 
that paper, to fill a vacancy, and with the 



REMARKS BY SENATOR ALDRICH. 141 

understanding- that the arrangement was to 
continue only for a few weeks; but the con- 
nection thus made did not cease until the 
day of his death. His success as an editor 
was instant and marked. The time at which 
he took charge of the Journal was one of 
great political excitement in Rliode Island. 
The bitter struggle which was then going on 
to change the government of the State for 
the avowed purpose of securing an enlarge- 
ment of the suffrage brought the contestants 
to the verge of civil war. 

In this contest, Mr. Anthony, who when a 
young man, as in later years, was conserva- 
tive in his instincts, naturally took the side 
of ''law and order." The triumph of the 
party to which he was attached was largely 
due to the vigorous and incisive advocacy of 
the journal under his control. His brilliant 
leadership attracted some of the brightest 
and best men of his State to his support. 
The members of the party which he led with 
such consummate ability, were prompt to 



k 



142 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

acknowledge and to show their appreciation 
of the invaluable service which he rendered 
their cause at this period. The conduct of 
the Journal in this controversy established 
Mr. Anthony's reputation as a journalist, 
which then, and as long as he was actively 
engaged in the exercise of the profession, 
extended far beyond the limits of his own 
State. In the midst of a political conten- 
tion of unsurpassed virulence he was never 
tempted by the impetuosity of youth nor 
driven by the malevolence of personal at- 
tacks to write a sentence or utter a sentiment 
which would not bear the test of his mature 
judgment, or which his friends would prefer 
should be erased or forgotten. 

He was best known for the vigor and abil- 
ity with which he wrote of political affairs, 
both State and national, and for his brilliant 
and genial satire ; but the native dignity and 
courtesy of the man were manifested in the 
grace of style and ornate eloquence which 
distinguished all his literary workmanship. 



REMARKS BY SENATOR ALDRICH. 143 

With a strong love for his profession, he had 
all the faculties of the ideal journalist — that 
of ready, clear, and forcible writing; of 
prompt decision in emergencies, combined 
with fair and temperate judgment; of wise 
choice in his associates and subordinates, 
with the cordial and friendly spirit of ap- 
preciation which secured their warm zeal 
and cooperation. 

There was nothing labored in his work. 
He was an exceedingly rapid as well as an 
industrious writer, and has been known to 
keep four expert compositors busy in setting 
his editorial manuscript. For years he per- 
formed the greater part of the editorial writ- 
ing for the Journal, and even after his election 
to the Senate was for a long time in the habit 
of sending to the paper his daily editorial 
contribution. To his latest day he kept up 
the habit of writing for its columns, and did 
not abandon it even under the pressure of 
enfeebling illness. His last paragraph, con- 
tributed a few days before his death, was a 



144 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

friendly notice of an acquaintance, and his 
last suggestion in its management was a re- 
quest to spare a political enemy. The Jour- 
nal was always the object of his affectionate 
care. His supervision of its columns was 
constant and close, and the suggestion that 
he should relieve himself of its responsibil- 
ity, after the sudden death of his trusted as- 
sociate, Mr. Danielson, under whose editorial 
management its reputation had been ably sus- 
tained and its sphere of usefulness enlarged, 
moved him to the expression that he would 
as soon think of parting with a child. 

As a journalist Mr. Anthony was vigorous 
in controversy and dealt in hard and sharp 
blows when he felt they were needed ; but it 
was a characteristic of his temper as well as 
the secret of his success that he never in- 
dulged in unnecessary controversy or yielded 
to the temptation of being satirical merely 
for the sake of showing his skill. He never 
descended to abuse; and there was a kindly 
element in his keenest satire which robbed it 



REMARKS EY SP]NATOR ALDRICH. 145 

of half its seventy. His opponents always 
felt that they were dealing with an antag- 
onist who would take no unfair advantage. 
His style of argument in the discussion of 
important subjects was remarkably clear and 
simple, and no one was ever at a loss to un- 
derstand what he meant, or was at fault in 
following his train of thought. 

In his later years he took special delight 
in writing on local topics in a spirit of genial 
humor and w4th all the graces of a true Ad- 
disonian style. His simple tributes to the 
memory of friends w^ere marked with the 
same feeling eloquence which distinguished 
his elegiac orations in this Chamber. For 
many years Mr. Anthony was the Providence 
Journal. His individuality and his intellect- 
ual not less than his political intluence made 
it the center of the intellectual life of Rhode 
Island and attracted to it the contributions 
of the brightest minds in the State. 

It is perhaps not too much to say that no 
paper in the country outside of the metropol- 



140 HENRY E. ANTHONY, 

itan journals had a higher reputation than 
the Providence Journal while Mr. Anthony 
was its editor; and that it was merely the 
limitation of its sphere that prevented him 
from being ranked in influence as a journal- 
ist with his great contemporaries of that re- 
markable era in American journalism. The 
volumes of the Journal while under his direc- 
tion constitute his most conspicuous monu- 
ment. 

In 1849 Mr. Anthony was the nominee of 
the Whig party for governor of Rhode Island 
and was elected. His administration was 
successful, and he was reelected in 1850 but 
declined the nomination for a third term. 

Governor Anthony's position as a political 
leader in Rhode Island was then assured. 
The confidence of her people in his capacity 
and sagacity continued in a marked degree, 
and it was manifested in 1858 by his election 
to represent the State in the United States 
Senate. This office he assumed on the 4tli of 
March, 1859, and by the uninterrupted favor 



REMARKS BY SENATOR ALDRICH. 147 

and generous faith of his constituency, shown 
by five successive elections, he retained it for 
more than twenty-five years, until he was the 
oldest Senator in service and long after all 
his early associates had left this Chamber. 

Entering the Senate in the full vigor of 
early manhood, he was splendidly equij^ped, 
by nature and education, by a careful study 
of political history, and b}^ an intimate 
knowledge of the science of government, for 
the responsible duties of his high station. 
At this time the shadows of the approaching 
''irrepressible conflict" which was soon to in- 
volve the country in war had fallen upon the 
Capitol. Elected as a Republican, the first 
who was not openly allied with the Aboli- 
tionists, his conservative tendencies did not 
prevent his taking the earliest opportunity to 
attest his devotion to the cause of liberty. 

To recount the events in which Senator 
Anthony during the years of his service was 
a participant, or of which he was a Avitness, 
would be to recite the liistor}^ of the country 



148 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

for its most interesting and important period. 
I can not, liowever, forbear an allusion to his 
valuable services during the critical years of 
the late civil war. In this momentous crisis 
he brought to the discharge of his important 
duties in the Senate, and as a trusted coun- 
selor of the Executive, great good sense, 
sound nerves, a clear, cool judgment, a cour- 
age never dismayed by disaster, and a loy- 
alty and patriotism equal to any sacrifice or 
emergency. We have, as a people, justly be- 
stowed our highest honors upon the military 
heroes who at that time rendered conspicuous 
service to the country, but it may be doubted 
whether we have properly estimated the in- 
fluence and services of those who in the na- 
tional councils shared the responsil)ility of 
the great contest. 

Measured by the length of time employed, 
Senator Anthony's greatest labors while a 
member of this body were on the Committee 
on Public Printing, of which he was the 
chairman for more than twent3^-two years. 



REMARKS BY SENATOR ALDRICH. 149 

During this period, and largely tlirougli 
his influence, the extravagant and corrui)t 
S3''stem of contract printing was abolished, 
a national printing office established, the 
publication of debates transferred from pri- 
vate ] lands to the Public Printer, and eco- 
nomical reforms in the manner of purchasing 
paper and other supplies Avere initiated. He 
souglit, unsuccessfully, to restrict the public 
printing to the legitimate demands of the 
various Governmental Departments, and to 
prevent the publication for popular distribu- 
tion of large and expensive editions of works 
of questionable value. He also endeavored, 
with equal lack of success, to make the Con- 
gressional Record what it purports to be, a 
faithful transcript of Congressional proceed- 
ings, and to prevent its '' leaden columns " 
from being weighed down by the insertion 
of speeches which were never spoken. 

Senator Anthony served from 1868 to his 
death on the Committee on Naval Affairs, 
of which he was for many years the senior 



150 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

member. He was familiar Avith the condi- 
tion and Avants of the Navy, and was greatly 
interested in promoting all measures which 
promised to add to its efficiency. Meritori- 
ous officers always found in him an earnest 
advocate and firm friend. 

Senator Anthony was elected President 'pro 
tempore of this body in March, 1863, and re- 
elected in March, 1871, serving for four years. 
In this position he displa^^ed rare abilities 
as a parliamentarian and presided over the 
Senate with grace and dignity. In January, 
1884, he was again elected, but "with a heart 
overflowing with gratitude" felt obliged to 
decline, as the state of his health warned him 
not to assume any labors that he could hon- 
orably avoid. 

Senator Anthony never consumed the time 
of the Senate in useless discussion, but on the 
rare occasions when he participated in debate 
his remarks were characterized by both clear- 
ness of statement and soundness and force of 
argument. His memorial addresses, in which 



REMARKS BY SENATOR ALDRICH. 151 

he rendered graceful and grateful tribute to 
the memory of dei)arted Senators, are ac- 
cepted as models of perfect taste, and are 
marked by an elegance of style and a spirit 
of kindly but just criticism which conniiand 
universal admiration. Ranking with these 
in grace of style are his address at tlie com- 
pletion of the equestrian statue of General 
Greene near the Capitol, Avhicli owes its ex- 
istence to his exertions ; his speeches on t/he 
occasion of the presentation by the State of 
Rhode Island to the National Government of 
the statues of Roger Williams and General 
Greene, and his remarks in favor of an ap- 
propriation for the restoration of the monu- 
ment which marks the last resting place of 
the Chevalier De Ternay, at Newport. 

As a Senator he applied himself steadfastly 
to the absorbing duties which crowd a sena- 
torial life, never neglecting any appeal or 
demand from his constituents. No man had 
a more exalted idea of the dignity and im- 
portance of the senatorial office than he ; 



152 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

and none was more careful to preserve intact 
its time-honored privileges and prerogatives. 
He was inflexibly opposed to all innovations 
on established precedents in modes of pro- 
cedure, and was accepted as authority on all 
matters pertaining to senatorial etiquette. 
He held a position of honorable and com- 
manding influence among his associates in 
the Senate and in the councils of his party. 

He was by nature incapable of doing a 
mean act. With a high sense of political 
and personal honor, no narrow influences 
ever controlled his political action. Living 
at a time when few reputations escaped at- 
tack, it is a matter for congratulation that 
his long public career closed without a stain 
upon his honor and without the breath of 
suspicion resting on any of his official acts. 
Neither foes nor rivals ever ventured to ques- 
tion his uprightness or his strict integrity. 

Senator Anthony was a devoted son of 
Rhode Island, proud of lier institutions, fond 
of her traditions, and familiar Avith every 



REMARKS BY SENATOR ALDRICH. 153 

phase of her not ungiorious history. With 
uncommon solicitude he had watched her 
wonderful industrial growth and intellectual 
development. For half a century he had 
been more influential than any other of her 
citizens in molding public sentiment and di- 
recting the policy of her people; and as the 
acknowledged leader of the dominant party 
in the State, his influence in political matters 
was, for a large portion of this time, control- 
ling. He implanted and nurtured a patriotic 
spirit in the hearts of her sons which will 
continue to bear fruit in perpetual remem- 
brance of his example. 

In every forum and on every occasion, 
whenever her institutions were assailed or 
any principle dear to her people brought in 
question, he became her advocate and de- 
fender, using every weapon of offensive or 
defensive warfare with all the skill of a vet- 
eran and all the enthusiastic ardor of a 
youthful recruit. He was impelled to this 
service rather by the promptings of affection 



154 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

than the ck'nuinds of duty. This engrossing 
love for his native State was his grand pas- 
sion, and to serve her interests with fidelity 
was the one undeviating purpose of his life, 
dominating all circumstances and surround- 
ings. He never, however, found his intense 
loyalty to his State in conflict with his duty 
as a Senator of the United States. 

His exceptional success as a political leader, 
in a community where many amhitious and 
able men were disposed to dispute his ascend- 
ency, did not depend alone upon that esteem 
and confidence of his fellow-citizens, which 
is the natural reward for devoted services. 
He had the faculty of forming a correct 
judgment of the character and capacity of 
those Avith whom he came in contact, and 
there was a subtle charm in his nature 
which appealed strongly to the sensibilities 
of otliers, attracting men of the most diverse 
characteristics and attaching them firmly to 
himself and his fortunes. His manner was 
always conciliatory ; his temper was never 



EEMARKS BY SENATOR ALDRICH. 155 

impulsive, and his persistence rarely assumed 
an aggressive form. He persuaded and pre- 
vailed more by the moderation of his spirit 
than by the vigor and comprehensiveness of 
his understanding. He was faithful to his 
friends, clinging fondly to old companions 
and associations; but this did not prevent 
his prompt recognition and appreciation of 
the new men, with s})ecial qualities for 
leadership, whom changing circumstances 
brought into prominence. 

He was a zealous party man, but he never 
used the patronage or power of official sta- 
tion to advance his personal interests. When 
required to decide, as he often was, upon the 
comparative merit of aspirants for political 
preferment, he invariably made fitness and a 
capacity to advance the public welfare the 
only standard of judgment. 

His associates here can hardly fail to speak 
with warmth of his striking personal charac- 
teristics; of his genial and gracious presence 
— in manner and essence that of a gentle- 



15n HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

mail — which has so long adorned this Cham- 
ber. Here he was faithful in his attachments, 
tolerant of his opponents; and the unusual 
sweetness and uniformity of his temper en- 
deared him to all with whom he came in 
contact. He never practiced the arts of the 
demagogue, but he had a strong attraction 
for all that was real, genuine, and manly, 
and an instinctive dislike for shams and 
everything like cant or hypocrisy. He de- 
tested display and pretension, and shrank 
from notoriety. He had an inexhaustible 
fund of human gentleness, which made him 
naturally courteous and amiable ; but his 
courtesy and politeness never offended by 
taking the form of condescension. He was 
considerate of the feelings and comfort of 
others ; quick to discover and commend 
merit. His nature was cast in the finest 
mold — 

His lif(i was gentle, and the elements 

So mix'd in him, that Ntiture might stand up 

And say to all the world, This was a man ! 



REMARKS BY SENATOR ALDRTCH. 157 

He was a strong man mentally and physi- 
cally, but no disproportion marred the sym- 
metry of his character, and no irregular 
outlines called attention to the strength and 
beauty of the structure. 

His conversation abounded in simple and 
delightful charms, and he was a favorite in 
every social circle. His hospitality had all 
the elegance of that of a gentleman of the 
old school, and his house in Providence was 
always the attractive centre of a circle of 
brilliant men and women. 

It was painfully evident when Senator An- 
thony last attended the sessions of the Senate 
that death had marked him for its victim; 
and no one knew this better than himself, 
for he had been informed by his physician as 
early as April, 1883, of the fatal character 
of the disease from which he was suffering. 
Returning to his home in April last, he pro- 
ceeded with perfect composure to set his 
house in order for the great change. Dur- 
ino- the months which followed he awaited 



158 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

the dread summons with a patience and phil- 
osophic calmness which deeply impressed all 
those who were about him. With the slow 
wasting of his physical powers there was no 
visible impairment of his mental faculties. 
The letters written by his own hand during 
this period had all the peculiar grace and 
charm of style wdiich made him master of 
the epistolary art. 

He was singularly reticent even to his most 
intimate friends in regard to his inner being, 
but whenever the uncertain tenure of his life 
was mentioned he always manifested a spirit 
of humble submission to Divine will, and 
would say, "God's time is best." In the face 
of death his courage never faltered; and the 
lessons of faith which had been taught him 
by a Christian mother were never forgotten. 
"He had," to use the words of his friend, 
Rev. Mr. Woodbury, in his eloquent funeral 
discourse, "schooled himself to that serenity 
of soul which could not be disturbed either 
in life or death." At his home devoted 



REMARKS BY SENATOR ALDRICH. 159 

friends and relatives ministered to his com- 
fort, and the ablest medical skill sought by 
the use of every remedy known to science to 
stay the progress of the disease, but all their 
efforts were in vain. On the 2d of Septem- 
ber last, he peacefully sank to rest. He was 
buried from the neighboring church where 
the funeral rites of his beloved colleague, 
General Burnside, had been so recently sol- 
emnized. "Twin heirs of fame," their pre- 
cious dust reposes in the same cemetery, and 
their memories are together graven on the 
hearts of the people of Rhode Island. 

His funeral, without pageantry or display, 
was an appropriate tribute of honor to the 
distinguished dead. It was attended by the 
President of the United States, a large num- 
ber of Senators, and the official representa- 
tives of his State and city. 

In the history of the Senate others have 
served as faithfully and as honorably as he 
whom we mourn, but it is rare that length of 
service unite with a high order of intellect 



160 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

and a spotless reputation to form a senatorial 
career as impressive, as instructive, and as 
patriotic as that which is now closed in the 
grave of Henry B. Anthony. 



Hon. William P. Sheftield spoke as follows: 

REMARKS BY SENATOR SHEFFIELD. 

3Ir. President. — As I recall the intimate 
personal relations which existed between the 
late Senator Anthony and myself, for a pe- 
riod of forty years and upwards, the pleasure 
I have felt from his society, the wisdom I 
have derived from his counsel, the many acts 
of kindness I have received at his hands, and 
my attachment to his person, I hardly dare 
to trust myself to review his life and charac- 
ter in the presence of so many reminders of 
his death. This Chamber was the scene of 
his long-continued and useful service to his 
country. The presence of his honored asso- 
ciates to pay a tribute to his exalted worth, 



KEMARKS BY SENATOR SHEFFIELD. 161 

and my own entry here to occupy the place 
his death made vacant, bring before my mind 
in bold outline the genial man whom I could 
have wished would have lived always. 

No Senator long acquainted with Mr. An- 
thony will arise to address the Senate on this 
occasion without having in mind the eulogies 
pronounced upon deceased Senators by him, 
eulogies which welled up from a mind and 
heart filled with human sympathy, as pure 
water from a natural spring, and expressed 
in language as pure as the fountain in which 
those eulogies originated; and especially will 
each Senator recall the burning words with 
which Mr. Anthony, as the representative 
of the Senate, delivered to the authorities of 
Massachusetts under the dome of its capitol 
the dead body of a great Senator ; but the 
voice then so eloquent over the remains of 
Sumner is now hushed in death. The bril- 
liant imagination which then mingled sad- 
ness and triumph has now been put out 
forever. Well may we say : 



162 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

Who would uot siug for Lycidas ? He knew 
Himself to sing, and build the lofty rhyme ; 
He must not float upon his watery bier 
Unwept, and welter to the parching wind 
Without the meed of some melodious tear. 

Mr. Anthony was a lineal descendant of 
John Anthony, a native of Hempstead in 
England, who came to Boston in the Her- 
cules in 1634, and to Rhode Island soon 
after 1640. Gilbert Stuart, the artist, whose 
mother was an Anthony, who has preserved 
on canvass so faithfully the features of Wash- 
ington, descended from the same ancestor. 
William Anthonv was the father of Senator 
Anthony, and his mother was a daughter of 
James Greene, of Warwick. The Warwick 
Greenes have been a conspicuous family in 
Rhode Island from the foundation of the 
colony. General Nathanael Greene, whose 
statue adorns a place in a hall of this Capi- 
tol, and Colonel Ray Greene, who com- 
manded at the battle of Red Bank, were 
members of this family, and two of its rep- 
resentatives have been members of the Sen- 



REMARKS BY SENATOR SHEFFIELD. 163 

ate. The ancestors of Governor Axthoxy 
belonged to the Society of Friends, which, 
for a considerable time in our colonial his- 
tory, was the most influential denomination 
of Christians in the colony. After Mr. Ax- 
THoxY graduated from college, he went to 
reside for a time and engaged in some mer- 
cantile pursuit at Savannah. He returned 
to Rhode Island and was there married to 
Sarah Aborn, daughter of the late Christo- 
pher Rhodes, in 1837. In 1838, at the age 
of tAventy-three, he assumed the editorial 
control of the Providence Journal. 

At that time, and for more than a score of 
years thereafter, he was surrounded by a 
coterie of .young men, mostly college friends, 
of learning, wit, and of marked ability as 
writers, who aided him more or less in the 
conduct of his paper. But while his asso- 
ciates contributed to its success, his was 
the critical judgment, the controlling mind 
which carried the Journal to the front rank 
of the NcAV England press, a standing wliicli 



104 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

it yet maintains. In the heated contests 
which preceded the insurrection in the State 
in 1842, and during and subsequent to that 
event, while a constitution for the State was 
being framed and adopted, the Journal was 
the organ of the government, and the dis- 
tinguished ability with which it was con- 
ducted brought Mr. Anthony prominently 
before the people of the State, and in 1849, 
he was presented by the young Whigs as 
their candidate for Governor, an office to 
which he was elected that year, and reelected 
in 1850, when he declined to be further a 
candidate for the office. In 1854 the great 
sorrow which ever after shadowed somewhat 
the life of Governor Anthony fell upon him. 
On the 12tli of July of that year his wife 
died. I might pause here to dwell upon the 
tenderness of his nature as developed by that 
affliction, but the theme is too sacred — I will 
not sully it. Burdened with this great sor- 
row, earty in 1855 he visited Europe for rest 



REMARKS BY SENATOR SHEFFIELD. 1()5 

and relief. Upon his return he resumed con- 
trol of his paper. 

Governor Anthony inherited from his 
father an interest in a manufacturing es- 
tablishment located in his native town of 
Coventry. Though for a time he was inter- 
ested in carrying on business at this estab- 
lishment, he retired from it when he went 
abroad, but omitted to give notice of his 
withdrawal. In 1857 the company became 
involved in the financial distress of that 
time. The creditors claimed that Governor 
Anthony was liable for the debts of the com- 
pany. He did not stop to have the question 
of his liability for these debts settled in the 
courts, but manfully came forward and met 
them, and honorably settled the claims made 
upon him. This added to his popularity, 
and in 1859, after a sharp contest, he was 
elected to the Senate of the United States, 
and to this office he was four times reelected. 
This shows alike the stability of the charac- 
ter of the Senator and of the people of the 



166 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

State who elected him. While in the Senate 
during this most interesting period of our 
national history the conduct of Senator An- 
thony was seen and known of all men. 

As an editor Mr. Anthony clearly compre- 
hended the rights and duties of his office. 
He understood the wants and necessities of 
the industrial interests of New England, of 
which Providence is a great centre ; and it 
was his laudable ambition to make his paper 
a leading advocate and organ of those inter- 
ests. He thought clearly and selected with 
rapidity the words which could best express 
his thoughts in the most forcible manner. 
There was no room left for construction in 
what he wrote. His style was direct, clear, 
and forcible, without excess of verbiage — it 
needed no interpreter. When he entered the 
Senate he had no superior in New England 
in writing effective editorial })aragraphs, and 
though his Senatorial career was correct and 
very creditable to himself, it may be well 
doubted if he had continued in his profession 



REMARKS BY SENATOR SHEFFIELD. 167 

whether his fame as an editor would not have 
been as desirable as it is as a Senator. 

As a politician Mr. Anthony stood by his 
party, seeking to correct its errors and to im- 
prove its policy within and not without its 
lines. He ahvays adhered with fidelity to 
his convictions of duty, yet he always treated 
his opponents with a generous justice, while 
that treatment was duly appreciated, and 
when it was not he was yet just. He won 
the respect and regard of the opposing party 
by tempering the expression of his convic- 
tions with evidences of good-nature and with 
an address which conciliated rather than re- 
pelled them. 

The secret of Mr. Anthony's influence was 
an entire frankness, the natural outcome of 
his character, with his absolute integrity of 
purpose, which prevented him from support- 
ing any measure which he believed to be pre- 
judicial to the best interests of the public. 
In the Senate he never made the most of 
himself, for he always underrated his own 



168 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

capabilities in comparison with the capabili- 
ties of others. He Avas careful never to un- 
dertake what he feared he might not be able 
to accomplish. 

Mr. Anthony was a man of amiable and 
even of fascinating manners, deferential to 
those about him, and mindful of all the pro- 
prieties of life ; he Avas well calculated to im- 
press with a sense of regard and respect all 
with whom he was brought into close rela- 
tions; never obtrusive, full of conversational 
resources, endowed with a ready wit and a 
*rich fund of pleasing anecdotes always at 
command to illustrate a point without en- 
cumbering it. Strong in his friendships, 
tender in his sensibilities, yet with absolute 
self-control. That he was a student of the 
science of government, apart from his ol)ser- 
vation of the practice of that science in the 
Senate, no one will pretend; and while he 
could state a point wdiich would expose a 
defect in the argument of an adversary as 
clearly and as effectively as any of his com- 



KEMARKS BY SENATOR SHEFFIELD. 169 

peers, he was not the man to present b}^ pub- 
lic address a subject involving complicated 
details. He rather directed his force against 
an adversary by isolated assaults at his weak 
points than by an attack upon his entire line 
— by sortie rather than b}?' siege. He was a 
conciliatory man and was possessed of great 
forbearance. He would go to the very verge 
of propriety to avoid the giving of offence, 
and would exhaust the resources of a very 
charitable disposition before he would believe 
that cause for offence was intended to be 
given to him ; but there was a line which his 
self-respect would not allow him to pass or 
an adversary to cross, and when forced to 
resistance he was a vigorous and unyielding- 
adversary. 

Mr. Anthony loved his native State. He 
was devoted to its institutions and thorough- 
ly imbued with the spirit of its history. He 
believed with Lord Coleridge that the char- 
acter of a State was not to be determined by 
the number of acres of ground it contained. 



170 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

or l:)y the number of its population, but 
rather by the characters and achievements of 
its people. In quiet retirement, in company 
with men of kindred thoughts, in conversa- 
tion Mr. Anthony dwelt with admiration 
upon the fortitude and self-denial of those 
exiles of exiles who settled the Rhode Island 
colony; upon their sufferings and hardships, 
and withal upon the Christian charity Avliich 
they exhibited in planting and maintaining 
the great ideas upon which the colony was 
founded. Then lie would trace the progress 
of the colonial history, the growth of the 
colony and its development into a State; the 
rise of its commerce until its canvass whit- 
ened every sea; and that commerce alone, 
and the commercial enterprise of its people, 
merited the glowing eulogy of Burke in the 
House of Commons upon the commercial 
enterprise of all the colonies. Then he 
would describe how wars and the adverse 
policy of the government drove that com- 
merce from the ocean and forced upon re- 



REMARKS BY SENATOR SHEFFIELD. 171 

luctant New England a blessing in disguise, 
that wiser policy, which the great commoner 
of Kentucky called "the American system" 
of fostering and protecting American indus- 
tries; and how lUiode Island, upon the ruins 
of its commercial industries, reared factories 
and workshops and operated them, until their 
handiwork under the operation of this benign 
system won for them a place among the fore- 
most industries of the country. At these 
times he would also delight to dwell upon 
the men who had illustrated Rhode Island 
history and their achievements, to show the 
claims of Rhode Island upon the national 
Union, a part of which achievements he ap- 
l)eared to feel to be his by inheritance from a 
line of ancestors who had borne an important 
part in settling, developing and maintaining 
the colony and State during every period of 
its history. 

The grave has closed over him and shut in 
his mortal remains. Throughout his life he 
anticipated the harvest of a good name, and 



172 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

he did nothing to l)light it. His end did not 
come until after a long career of useful pub- 
lic service, when his physical energies had 
been exhausted and the ends of life had been 
attained. It is a sad thought; but it will not 
be long before ''our lighted torches will pass 
to other hands." 

Senator Anthony was a fortunate man; 
fortunate in his moral and intellectual en- 
dowments; fortunate in his friends and in 
his surroundings; fortunate in his life; for- 
tunate in death in his own house with kind 
friends around him. He has left no stain 
upon his good name; his finished course cov- 
ers nothing to be regretted, leaves undone 
nothing desired, but that his career could 
have been prolonged and that his usefulness 
could have been continued. But it has been 
otherwise ordered, and his friends should be 
thankful for the blessings which his life has 
conferred, rather than to murmur at the 
Providence which has determined it. 



PASSAGE OF THE RESOLUTIONS. 173 

Eulogies were also pronounced by Senators 
George F. Edmunds, of Vermont, Thomas 
F. Bayard, of Delaware, George H. Pendle- 
ton, of Ohio, Justin S. Morrill, of Vermont, 
Augustus H. Garland, of Arkansas, George 
F. Hoar, of Massachusetts, Matthew C. But- 
ler, of South Carolina, John J. Ingalls, of 
Kansas, Joseph R. Hawley, of Connecticut, 
Charles F. Manderson, of Nebraska; and the 
resolutions were agreed to unanimously. 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTITIYES. 



Washinuton, January 21, 1885. 

The Honorable Jonathan Chace, a Re^pre- 
sentative from Rhode Island, addressed the 
House as folio avs : 

Mr. Speaker.— 1 offer the following resolu- 
tions which I ask the Clerk to read: 

The Clerk read as follows: 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives has 
received with deep sorrow the official auuouucement of 
the death of Henry Bowen Anthony, late United States 
Senator from the State of Rhode Island. 

Resolved, That the business of the House be now 
suspended that opportunity may be afforded to give ex- 



176 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

pression of our sense of his persona,! worth, of his pub- 
lic services, and of the loss which the country and his 
native .State have sustained. 

Resolved, That at the conclusion of these tributes to 
his memory the House shall stand adjourned. 

REMARKS BY REPRESENTATIVE CHACE. 

Again Rhode Island is called to monrn the 
loss of a distinguished son. A second time 
in my brief career in this House it becomes 
my duty to pay the last tribute of respect to 
the memory of one of her Senators. Again 
we are reminded how swiftly glide these lives 
of ours; that the dreams of hope are but 
shadows; that the honors for which we 
clutch must wither in our hand; that the 
cares, the joys, the fears of life alike soon 
find an end. It is well for us to pause for 
a brief season and look back. 

When, in the closing days of 1851), the 
Senate of the Thirty-sixth Congress met, the 
two sides of that Chamber more nearly re- 
sembled the representatives of two hostile 



REMARKS BY MR. CHACE. 177 

countries than an ordinary legislative body, 
met to calmly discuss questions of common 
interest. All of those wonderful intellectual 
giants, the product of the primitive days of 
the Repuljlic, had passed off the stage of 
action. Clay, full of years, but weary and 
worn with compromise, had sunk to rest 
with only anxious hope, and was reposing at 
his own beautiful Ashland ; the ashes of Cal- 
houn were mingling with the soil of his na- 
tive Carolina ; Webster, almost heartbroken 
and full of forebodings for the future of the 
Union, had been laid in the simple tomb at 
Marshfield, where the ocean which he loved 
so well might sing his solemn dirge through 
the coming ages. The gathering storm which 
these men had vainly sought to avert was 
darkly impending over the nation. All the 
great economic questions were swallowed up 
in this one absorbing topic. 

Among those who entered that vSenate and 
took sides with the defenders of freedom was 
Henry B. Anthony, of Rhode Island. In 



178 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

the prime of life, at forty-five years of age, 
inheriting from a long line of virtuous an- 
cestry a constitution of wonderful strength 
and vigor ; of singular beauty, both of person 
and of feature, with a commanding presence, 
highly educated, cultivated in his manners, 
with a rare grace and urbanity, and a charm- 
ing felicity in social intercourse, he at once 
became a favorite, even in those days of in- 
tense partisanship, with members of both 
sides of the Senate. Possessed of intellectual 
gifts of the very highest order, thorougldy 
furnished as he was by the peculiar training 
which a long career of journalism had given 
him, he Avas fitted to take a high position in 
the councils of the nation. 

Possessed of a peculiarly well-balanced 
mind his caution and prudence often re- 
strained him from labored efforts of oratory 
and from participating in the excitements of 
clashing debate. In all the legislative his- 
tory of the country Init few men have intro- 
duced measures of great and far-reaching 



REMARKS BY MR. CHACE. 179 

importance. The qualities that dazzle and 
captivate the popular mind are not always 
those which are of most value. As in na- 
ture, so in the operation of parliamentary 
bodies, we find the silent forces are often the 
most potent. It is by patient toil and careful 
prevision in committee that the public inter- 
ests are guarded and promoted. This was 
the peculiar field of usefulness to which our 
lamented friend bent his attention. On the 
floor of the Senate he was alert, attentive, 
and careful, and when occasion required, 
quick to penetrate the armor of error, to 
expose its purpose, or to defend those meas- 
ures for which the public weal called. 

He did not speak often, but when his voice 
was heard it commanded attention. His 
speeches, always bearing evidence of great 
learning and research, were couched in the 
purest and most polished English. His in- 
tellect was broad and vigorous, with wit as 
keen and incisive as a Damascus blade, that 
would have been a dangerous weapon with 



180 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

one less gentle, for he was as kind and lov- 
ing- as a woman. 

In all the long list of names borne on the 
Senate roll two men only have been elected 
to five consecutive terms — Thomas H. Ben- 
ton and Henry B. Anthony. And 3^et, 
although serving so long, much of the time 
during the most stormy period of our parlia- 
mentary histor}^, no man (^f all that throng 
of fellow-Senators could sa}^ that he had just 
cause of offense toward him, and with rare 
exceptions all were his friends. 

Serving at a time, when from the necessi- 
ties of the Government growing out of the 
Avar, money was poured out like water, when 
in the mad fever of specukxtion and gras})ing 
for sudden wealth through Government con- 
tracts, re})utations went down like soldiers in 
battk', he came out unscathed, not a breath 
of sus])icion resting uj)On him. Holding the 
most pronounced views on all tlie (juestions 
which agitated the public mind like a seeth- 
ing caukh-on (hiring the [)eriod before and 



REMARKS BY MR. CHACE. 181 

after the war, tlioiii;li abating iiotliiiig, he 
retained the friendship of his most earnest 
opi)onents. Knowing the weakness of inde- 
cision, he readied forward for political truth 
with a firm hand and still preserved a strong 
balance of conservatism. 

Deei)ly learned in the fonnchition ^irinci- 
ples of our Government, and as deeply 
skilled in the use of language, he sometimes 
presented those principles with wonderful 
effect. 

He was twice elected Governor of Rhode 
Island, and twice President of the United 
States Senate. But long and honorable and 
useful as have been his services in the Sen- 
ate, it is as a faithful son of Hhode Island 
that the citizens of that State will most cher- 
ish his memory. Born in the town of Cov- 
entry, of a Quaker family whose ancestors 
had dwelt there from the days of its earliest 
settlement, spending his youth among the 
hills of his native State, educated in her 
schools and at her university, putting forth 



\>>'2 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

the first labors of his early manhood as well 
as the more brilliant efforts of his maturer 
years in defense of her constitution, he loved 
her as a man loves his mother. 

He was, indeed, a part of Rhode Island. 
He believed her constitution to be the most 
perfect instrument of the kind ever drawn 
by the hand of man, and his defense of it is 
unanswerable. His name and his fame is 
linked with Rhode Island and her happily 
constituted system. There, as a journalist, 
he attained a most distinguished position, 
building up, from small beginnings, one of 
the most influential and useful journals in 
New England; earning, by the purity of his 
diction, clearness and conciseness of style, 
and felicity of expression, a high reputation. 
Honored and trusted by her people, he hon- 
ored them Ijy the faithfulness of his services. 

I have known Senator Anthony from ni}^ 
3'Outh up — known him as did all, to respect, 
to admire, to love him. In every s})here, in 
all circles, under all circumstances, wlierever 



REMARKS BY MR. CHACE. 183 

he went, his progress was a constant conquest 
of friendship, and friends once won, he "grap- 
pled them to his soul with hoops of steel." 

How many wlio commenced the race of 
life with him have fallen by the way while 
he passed on. The friends of his youth died 
and he found others. 

During his service in the Senate he saw 
the shackles stricken from four million slaves, 
the deed of manumission written in the Ijlood 
of three hundred thousand men ; the .Union, 
tottering to its foundation, purified and re- 
stored, the dream of the fathers that this 
land should be consecrated to liberty realized. 
During his term he saw men rise to distinc- 
tion in both Houses of Congress, and pro- 
nounced their eulogies. As Senator, he saw 
Lincoln inaugurated ; held up his hands dur- 
ing the vigils of those weary four years of 
war, and saw him buried, mourned alike by 
friend and foe. Saw Garfield rise from ob- 
scurity to distinction in the forum, the field, 
and in this House — elected Senator, made 



184 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

President, and laid in his grave on the shores 
of Lake Erie. Grant's wonderful career from 
the store in Galena to his triumphant prog- 
ress round the world was but an episode. 

Of his liopes for the future life I cannot 
speak. He rarely spoke of it to me. 

As life is ordinarily viewed, it may Ije said 
that his was a success ; but if we could go 
with him through the long journey, full 
rounded up to near three-score and ten, we 
miiiiit not maintain our estimate of Avliat is 
human success. He had hosts of friends 
and few enemies ; was honored as but few 
men have been; but with all he carried for 
many years a great sorrow. The wife of his 
youth, beautiful and accomplished, was early 
stricken down, and ever after he continued 
alone the journey of life. He realized, as all 
must, that — 

All pomp was but a uame ; 
That gold aud silver were not life aud joy ; 
That what to-day bestowed of Iovl' or raine, 
Tomorrow's breath would wither and destroy. 



REMARKS BY MR. CPTACE. 185 

He realized, as do all who grapple with 
great public questions, of how much too lit- 
tle avail are our best endeavors to establish 
justice, to put an end to inequality, or to sat- 
isfy those less favored. He saw how empty 
a thing is honor, what a dream is life itself, 
and how decay and death follow quickly 
after youth and strength, as cloud-shadows 
chase the sunshine on the mountain-side. 
Occupying as he did for many years so dis- 
tinguished a position, he realized that — 

He who asceuds the mountain tops shall find 

Its loftiest peaks most wrapped iu clouds aud snow ; 

He who surpasses or subdues mankind 

Must look down on the hate of .those below ; 

Though far above the sun of glory glow, 

And far beneath the earth and ocean spread, 

Round him are icy rocks, and loudly blow 

Contending tempests on his naked head. 

And thus reward the toils which to those summits led. 

With him '' life's vain parade is over." 
But though " he walked with throngs of 
good friends, now at last he is called to pass 
alone the dread portals of death.'' 



186 HENRY B, ANTHOJs^Y. 

He will lono' be remembered by his associ- 
ates here for the radiance of his genial pres- 
ence, for his careful attention to every detail 
of legislative duty, for the warmth of his 
friendship, and the absence of partisan ran- 
cor. In his native State his memory will be 
cherished by young and old for his gentle- 
ness, his dignity, his faithfulness to trust, for 
his long and useful services. 



The Honorable Henry J. Spooner, a Repre- 
sentative from Rhode Island, spoke as fol- 
lows : 

REMARKS BY REPRESENTATIVE SPOONER. 

M)\ Speaker. — The "Father of the Senate" 
is dead. A long life of usefulness, largely 
devoted to the public service, has closed. A 
career unexampled by that of any son of his 
native State and almost unparalleled in the 
history of the Rei)ublic has terminated. All 



REMARKS BY MR. SPOONER. 187 

that was mortal of Henry B. Anthony has 
been borne to its final resting place, rever- 
ently escorted by representatives of the Na- 
tional and State governments and by the 
mourning people of Rhode Island, and ten- 
derly committed to the soil from whence he 
sprung. 

His obsequies have been said; his virtues 
and attainments depicted, and his great ser- 
vices to his State and the nation fittingly- 
portrayed. The General Assembly of the 
State of Rhode Island, the Board of Trade 
of the city of Providence, the Commandery 
of the Loyal Legion of this District, of which 
he was an honorary and an honored compan- 
ion, the Senate of the United States, the pub- 
lic press and the voice of the people, have all 
recounted and recalled the incidents of his 
honorable life and pronounced their eulogies 
upon his private character and his distin- 
guished public services. 

The utterances of this hour, devoted to the 
memory of the deceased Senator, properly 



188 HENRY B, ANTHONY. 

supplement the many similar tributes to his 
worth ; and though evolving little perhaps 
not already said, may at least, while giving 
appropriate recognition by this House of the 
public loss and the public sorrow, point again 
the lessons of a completed and well-spent life; 
and so, while appreciating the completeness 
of the tributes already paid, I can not omit 
the opportunity offered to render this last 
testimonial of respect and regard for my late 
friend and colleague. 

It Avas Senator Anthony's fortune to live in 
stirring, troublous times, and to be a promi- 
nent participant in events which have largely 
contributed to the making of our history. 
From early manhood to almost the allotted 
life of man, he may be said to have been con- 
stantly concerned in the direction of public 
affairs ; first as an influential editor and con- 
troller of public thought; then as Governor 
of his State; and finally as United States 
Senator by five successive elections and dur- 
ing- more than twenty-five years of contin- 



REMARKS BY MR. SPOONER. 189 

nous service, embracing the most eventful 
period of our national existence. 

Liberally educated and graduating at 
Brown University in 1833, with great nat- 
ural talents and no small degree of culti- 
vation and adaptability for the work, Mr. 
Anthony five 3^ears later became sole editor 
of the Providence Journal, in which capacity 
he established that newspaper among the 
leaders of New England opinion, and at- 
tained his earlier reputation as a graceful, 
vigorous writer, and a keen and discriminat- 
ing critic of men and of public affairs. 

The period of his earlier editorial career 
was in those years which immediately pre- 
ceded and included the so-called " Dorr 
rebellion/' when wide and irreconcilable dif- 
ferences among the people of Rhode Island 
concerning their suffrage gave rise not only 
to bitter discussions and personal and party 
dissensions, but even to domestic strife and 
an appeal to arms, threatening the peace and 
the very existence of the State. In those 



190 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

days, Mr. Anthony and his paper were the 
stern, uncompromising supporters of the so- 
called "law and order" party of Rhode Isl- 
and, urging the supremacy of existing law 
and of the government organized under it 
until the same should be changed by and 
through the instrumentality and processes 
which that law recognized; and earnestly 
demanding the suppression by armed force 
of any armed resistance to what they claimed 
to be the only lawful government of the 
State. 

It was during that period that Mr. Antho- 
ny established his reputation as an editor 
and first illustrated the proportions of his 
ability and the grasp and insight of his in- 
tellect. Yet, bitterly as the conflict was 
waged between the " Dorrites " and the 
"Algerines," as the contending parties were 
called, and virulent as were many of the 
animosities and antagonisms aroused — fami- 
lies and former friends dividing in hostile 
iXYi'iix — and althou<;h no man in Rhode Isl- 



REMARKS BY MR. SPOONER. 191 

and more persistently and vigorously opi)Osed 
Thomas W. Dorr and his associates than did 
Henry B. Anthony, his peculiar characteris- 
tics, both of manner and method, are illus- 
trated by the fact that many of his most 
hostile opponents in those days of internal 
strife subsequently became his faithful polit- 
ical adherents and closest personal friends. 
Indeed, within a few days I have read a 
letter recently written by an old ''Dorrite" 
and a strong political opponent of Mr. An- 
thony in the ''days of forty -two," who there 
speaks of the deceased Senator as one among 
his "ideals of great men." * 

Largely by reason of the reputation earned 
and the political alliances with which he 
became associated during the years of and 
immediately succeeding the contest referred 
to, Mr. Anthony was in 1849 nominated by 
the Whig party of Rhode Island and elected 
Governor of the State ; and in the following 
year reelected to the same office, receiving 
upon this second election more than three- 



192 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

fourths of all the ballots polled — a marked 
evidence of his popularity with the people 
and of their satisfaction with his discharge 
of his duties as chief magistrate during his 
preceding term. 

It is a peculiarity of Rhode Island politics, 
due I believe partly to the size of the State 
and partly to the characteristic independence 
of her people, that party lines are frequently 
broken for the expression of individual pref- 
erences, and votes often cast in direct antag- 
onism to the nominal party affiliations of the 
voter; and Mr. Anthony, having perhaps to 
a greater extent than any other of his fellow- 
citizens a large following of personal friends, 
of varying shades of political opinion, capti- 
vated by his genial manners and won by his 
unquestioned integrity and the constancy of 
his friendship and his purpose, always found 
many staunch political supporters among 
those whose political alliances were usually 
widely at variance with his own; and, al- 
though originally a Whig aiid subsequently 



REMARKS BY MR. SPOONER. 193 

always a Republican, through the course of 
his long public life he enjo^^ed the continu- 
ous confidence and political support of many 
Rhode Island Democrats. 

A Rhode Islander by birth and descended 
from old Rhode Island stock; by nature, 
descent, instinct, and education saturated 
with the ideas, principles, and convictions 
peculiar to the people of his State; with an 
affection akin to admiration for her tradi- 
tions, her history, and her ancient institu- 
tions, Mr. Anthony was for more than a 
quarter of a century recognized as that one 
of all her citizens best qualified to represent 
her interests, as was evinced by his repeated 
elections to serve her during all that period 
in the United States Senate. His Senatorial 
career, extending from 1859 to the time of 
his death in September, 1884, spanned the 
lifetime of a generation. It saw the rise and 
overthrow of the great rebellion, the aboH- 
tion of slavery, and the reconstruction of 
the Union with constitutional liberty for 



194 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

black as well as white as a foundation-stone; 
it witnessed the restoration of financial safety 
and integrity and that wonderful expansion 
of American industries which wise legisla- 
tion had fostered ; it beheld that marvelous 
growth and prosperity which, within that 
period of time, had nearly douljled the pop- 
ulation of Rhode Island as Avell as the popu- 
lation of the United States, and had nearly 
tripled the value of their manufactured pro- 
ducts ; it saw the star of the liepublic, which 
had seemed about to set in clouds and dark- 
ness, blazing again in the peaceful sky as a 
beacon light to progress and to freedom ! 

The long and faithful services of Senator 
Anthony in the national councils form a 
conspicuous part of the recorded history of 
our country, and scarcely demand recital 
here. They constitute a record of high pat- 
riotism, fidelity to duty, and i)rudent states- 
manship during those trying seasons of peril 
and of strife when numerous new and im- 
portant (|uestions affecting the safety and 



REMARKS BY MR. SPOONEH. 11)5 

perpetuity of our institutions vexed the pub- 
lic mind and demanded Congressional ac- 
tion; the}^ embrace the period following the 
war, when matters of scarcely less importance 
to the welfare, peace, and prosperity of our 
people — the reconstruction of the Union, 
and questions of finance and traffic and tax- 
ation — called for that wisdom in legislation 
which he was so competent to exercise. Af- 
fable and courtly in manner, earnest yet pru- 
dent and conservative, diligent in the work 
committed to his charge, possessing rare gifts 
of eloquence and persuasion as well as a log- 
ical mind united with unusual power of state- 
ment and analysis. Senator Anthony, though 
seldom indulging in formal speeches in the 
Senate and but infrequently engaged in de- 
bate upon the floor, was for many years a 
power in the affairs of Government and one 
of the most influential of Senators. As an 
industrious member and as chairman of im- 
portant committees, and for four years as 
President j:>ro tempore of the Senate, he has 



196 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

left the impress of his statesmanship and his 
patriotism upon much of tlie lei^islation en- 
acted during his term of Senatorial service. 

If Mr. Anthony had not l)een called to 
public life, luit had continued to activel}^ 
occupy his early editorial chair, I believe I 
may safely assert that he would have at- 
tained both reputation and fame as a great 
editor. That was a career for which he 
was peculiarly adapted and most admirabl}^ 
equipped by his ability, his inclinations, and 
his attainments. 

Few men possessed a keener appreciation 
of men and motives or better understood the 
course and the cause of the progress of affairs, 
or could express their views more clearly, 
forcibly, and attractively. A master of good 
English, some of the earlier as well as the 
more recent products of his pen are among 
the best examples of correct and graceful 
diction which our literature affords. He 
could be witty without being offensive; hu- 
morous and yet not gross; severe but still 



RRMARKP BY MR. SPOONER. 197 

kindly and discriminating; complimentary 
yet not effusive; vigorous, or sympathetic, or 
critical, or sad, or gay; and through all he 
wrote there ever ran a genial, human vein, 
with a captivating style of thought and ex- 
pression ; and though his wit and satire Avere 
keen and incisive, yet, like the scimiter of 
Saladin, they seldom left a ragged wound to 
fester long after their blows had been deliv- 
ered. 

But I will delay the House no longer. 
The "Father of the Senate" rests from his 
labors ; the voice of the master of eulogy is 
hushed; and, with the memory of his glow- 
ing periods ringing in my ears, my simple 
tribute to his memory seems but discordant 
music. 

His fame is a part of our common history, 
interwoven with the fame of Lincoln and 
Grant and Seward and Sumner and of those 
other patriots, now largely of the past gener- 
ation, who labored, or fought, or died that 
the Union and free institutions might live. 



198 HENRY B. ANTHONY. 

Eulogies were also pronounced l)y Repre- 
sentatives William D. Kelley, of Pennsylva- 
nia, Luke P. Poland, of Vermont, Leopold 
Morse, of Massachusetts, J. Warren Keifer, 
of Ohio, and John Randolph Tucker, of Vir- 
ginia; and the Resokitions were unanimously 
adopted. 



HENRY B. ANTHONY. 



Born in Covdntry, R. I., April 1, 1815. 

Graduated, Brown University, 1833. 

Became Editor of the Providence Journal, 1838. 

Elected Governor, 1849 ; Re-elected, 1850. 

Elected United States Senator, 1858 ; Re-elected 

1864, 1870, 1876, 1882. 

Died in I^rovidence, September 2, 1884. 



^'The record of a noble life is tliat life's best 
eulogy ; the liistory of the deeds of worthy men, 
their most Uxstiug epitaph." 



I 



